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Introduction: Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is a common treatment method of aortic valve (AV) stenosis in neonates. Long-term BAV effects are suboptimal, and their predictors are not well acknowledged., Aim: To identify predictors of suboptimal short- and long-term BAV results., Material and Methods: The study group comprised forty-three neonates (8 females; weight 3.34 ±0.56 kg) who underwent BAV between 1998 and 2021. Seventeen patients (39.53%) had critical AV stenosis. AV was bicuspid in 22 patients, tricuspid in 12, unicuspid in 2, and undefined in 7 patients. The mean balloon/annulus ratio was 0.9 ±0.07. Catheterization, clinical, and follow-up data were analysed., Results: The peak-to-peak gradient decreased from 67.5 ±26.3 to 21.3 ±12.6 mm Hg. Twenty-eight patients (65.1%) had adequate early outcome. Aortic regurgitation (AR) occurred in 13 (30.2%) patients. No predictors of inadequate early outcome were found. Twenty-year survival was 90.7%. Eleven (35.5%) patients underwent reintervention at a median of 12 (1-215) months; BAV in 5 patients, surgical valvuloplasty in 2, Ross operation in 2, AV replacement in 1, and Norwood operation in 1 patient. Fifteen-year freedom from reintervention (FFR) was 48%. Adequate early outcome resulted in higher FFR (71% vs. 22%), and so did no significant AR (60% vs. 30%)., Conclusions: BAV provides satisfying early results. AR remains a significant aftermath of BAV. Risk factors and procedural techniques improving the outcome of BAV are unclear. Further research is needed to improve FFR., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Termedia Sp. z o. o.)

Competing Interests: Marcin Demkow is a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences Inc. The other authors declare no conflict.

Competing Interests: The author declares no conflict of interest.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Stent implantation is an effective therapy for aortic coarctation (CoA) in adolescents and adults., Aim: To present a unique group of patients with native coarctation of the aorta older than or equal to 46 years treated with bare metal or covered stents., Material and Methods: Since 2002 we have performed stent implantations by applying bare metal stents or covered stents using femoral access in 24 patients aged 46 and older., Results: We used the Mullins technique in all cases, implanting different stents: Palmaz, Cheatham-Platinum (CP), covered CP or Andrastents XL/XXL. Twenty-one procedures were elective and 3 were urgent. Eighteen bare metal stents (2 stents in one patient) and 7 covered stents were used. All procedures were effective (CoA gradient reduced < 20 mm Hg), despite 2 migrations of bare metal stents. Mean gradient was reduced from 50.6 ±15.3 to 6.8 ±6.5 mm Hg ( p < 0.001) and mean lumen diameter of stenosed aorta increased from 5.5 ±2.5 to 14.9 ±5.2 mm ( p < 0.001). One special case is discussed - a 49-year-old man with end staged heart failure and severe CoA, who underwent a rescue procedure with a bare metal stent. One serious complication - stroke of the central nervous system - was observed in a 53-year-old woman during covered stent implantation (symptoms resolved during rehabilitation process)., Conclusions: Stent implantation of native coarctation of the aorta is also a safe procedure in the eldest patients and is associated with persistent relief of aortic obstruction.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Balloon angioplasty (BAP) and aortic or pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty (BAV, BPV) are well-established treatment options in congenital heart defects. Recently, significant technological progress has been made and new catheters have been implemented in clinical practice., Aim: To analyze the results of BAP, BAV and BPV with the new balloon catheter Valver and its second generation Valver II, which the company Balton (Poland) launched and developed. These catheters have not been clinically evaluated yet., Material and Methods: We performed 64 interventions with Valver I and Valver II. With Valver I the following procedures were performed: 17 BPV (including 9 in tetralogy of Fallot - TOF), 10 BAV and 27 BAP in coarctations of the aorta (CoA) - including 9 native and 18 after surgery. With Valver II ten interventions were done - 3 BPV, 2 pulmonary supravalvular BAP (after switch operations), 2 BAP of recoarctations and 3 other BAP. Age of the patients ranged from a few days to 40 years., Results: All procedures were completed successfully, without rupture of any balloon catheters. The pressure gradient drop was statistically significant in all groups: BPV in isolated pulmonary valvular stenosis 28.1 mm Hg (mean), BPV in TOF 18.7 mm Hg, BAV 32.8 mm Hg, BAP in native CoA 15.4 mm Hg and in recoarctations 18.6 mm Hg. In 3 cases during rapid deflation of Valver I, wrinkles of the balloons made it impossible to insert the whole balloon into the vascular sheath (all were removed surgically from the groin). No such complication occured with Valver II., Conclusions: Valver balloon catheters are an effective treatment modality in different valvular and vascular stenoses.

We describe a patient who, at the age of 6 months (body weight 6.1 kg), was diagnosed with a large atrial septal defect (with diameter 10-11 mm) that had spontaneously closed in a 1-year period. The timing of transcatheter intervention in children should be considered individually, paying close attention to subsequent echocardiographic data.

Ventricular septal defects closure (VSD) depending on the anatomy and clinical setting can be performed surgically or by a hybrid and transcatheter approach. Two cases of children with VSD will be presented. Patients' defects were closed with various types of occluders made of nitinol wire mesh occluder, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) type. The first case was a 2.5-year-old boy after cardiosurgical correction of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). After the procedure, a significant haemodynamic residual VSD was observed, which was not successfully closed during the subsequent reoperation. Despite pharmacological treatment, symptoms of heart failure were observed in this patient. In echocardiographic images the residual VSD was presented as a tunnel-like dissection of the ventricular septum (length 6 mm and diameter 3.4 mm). The defect was closed via arterial access with an Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO II). The procedure was successfully performed without any medical complications. In this child, a significant shunt reduction and a noticeable improvement in the patient's clinical status and diminished symptoms of heart failure were noticed. The second patient was a 4-year-old girl suffering from a multi-perforated perimembranous VSD accompanied by a ventricular septal defect with aneurysm. The defect was closed by a venous approach with a PDA Cardio-O-Fix occluder (very similar to ADO I). No short-term or long-term complications were visible during or after the procedure. Only a mild residual shunt through the VSD was observed 6 months afterwards. Transcatheter VSD closure with a proper morphology, with occluders of type Amplatzer Duct Occluder ADO I or ADO II, constitutes a safe and effective therapeutic alternative.

Two cases are presented. In the first patient (8-year-old boy) after Glenn operation without closure of pulmonary outflow from the common ventricle (SV-PA) despite transcatheter SV-PA closure increased mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) (22 mm Hg) remained. After 6 months of sildenafil therapy he was catheterized again. His mPAP dropped to 10 mm Hg and a Fontan operation was subsequently performed. The second patient was a 25-year-old man, 20 years after a Fontan operation, presenting protein losing enteropathy and severe heart failure. All syndromes diminished significantly after medical therapy with sildenafil. Good clinical results of sildenafil therapy were maintained after 1 and 4 years of treatment. Chronic therapy with sildenafil can be beneficial in patients before and after the Fontan operation with elevated pulmonary artery pressure.