Miguel Granja

Foetal aortic valvuloplasty: experience of five cases

OBJECTIVES Foetal aortic valvuloplasty has been proposed as a strategy to improve left heart growth and function in foetuses with severe aortic stenosis at risk of progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. We report our experience with this intervention. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 2005 and 2010, five foetuses with aortic stenosis and at risk of progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous foetal aortic valvuloplasty. There were no associated maternal complications or foetal demise. In one case, the pregnancy was terminated a couple of weeks after the intervention, one foetus evolved to hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and three did not. CONCLUSIONS Foetal aortic valvuloplasty seems to be a safe and feasible procedure. It has been reported that it has the potential to prevent progression to hypoplastic left heart syndrome in selected foetuses with severe aortic stenosis. Further investigation regarding physiological and clinical aspects of this disease both prenatally and postnatally will probably allow to improve therapeutic strategies and clinical outcome.

Multicenter nit-occlud® PDA-R patent. Ductus arteriosus occlusion device trial: initial and six-month results.

Transcatheter closure of a moderate to large patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) using conventional techniques is challenging. The Nit‐Occlud® PDA‐R trial can close a PDA up to 8 mm in diameter. We sought to report procedural and six‐month efficacy and safety results of the multicenter Nit‐Occlud® PDA‐R trial.

OP27.05: Hypoplastic left ventricle (HLHS): in utero evolution and treatment

Objectives: To evaluate the potential use of the lung-head ratio (LHR) for the prediction of neonatal outcome in severe left congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) after fetal tracheal occlusion (FETO). Methods: Between January 2006 and December 2009, 20 fetuses with severe, isolated left CDH (LHR < 1.0 and liver-up) were submitted to FETO between 26–30 weeks of gestation. The LHR was evaluated before (26–28 ws) and after (32 ws) FETO procedure and then correlated with neonatal outcome (deaths). Results: Neonatal deaths occurred in 9/20 (45.0%) cases. Significantly lower values of LHR were observed in those cases that died before (0.6 ± 0.3) and after (0.9 ± 0.4) FETO procedures in comparison to those that survived (0.8 ± 0.3 and 1.6 ± 0.4; respectively, P < 0.05). Conclusions: The LHR may be useful to predict neonatal outcome in fetuses with severe left CDH submitted to FETO procedures.