Initial and six-year results of stent implantation for aortic coarctation in children.

Although stenting has been used as a treatment option for aortic coarctation (CoA) at increasingly younger ages, limited information is available on the long-term follow-up of stent implantation for CoA in pediatric patients. A total of 74 patients with CoA (mean age 8 ± 3 years) underwent stent implantation; 42 were treated for isolated native CoA and 32 for recurrent CoA. A total of 87 stents were implanted (bare metal stents in 71 patients and covered stents in 3 patients). Redilation of a previously implanted stent was performed in 32 patients. Immediately after stenting, the peak systolic pressure gradient decreased from 68 ± 16 mm Hg to 8 ± 5 mm Hg (p <0.05), and the CoA diameter increased from 5 ± 3 mm to 16 ± 3 mm (p <0.05). The most important procedural complication was aneurysm formation in 1 patient that was successfully treated with implantation of a covered stent. No early or late deaths occurred and no evidence was found of late aneurysm formation during a follow-up period of 6 years. Late stent fracture was observed in 3 patients. At the end of follow-up, no cases of recoarctation were identified on multislice computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, and 67 (85%) of the 74 patients were normotensive, receiving no medications. In conclusion, stent implantation is an effective and safe treatment alternative to conventional surgical management for the treatment of CoA in selected pediatric patients.