Transcaval puncture for access to the pulmonary venous atrium after the extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection operation.

BACKGROUND Patients with surgically palliated total cavopulmonary connection are at risk for recurrent atrial arrhythmia requiring catheter ablation. Transcatheter procedures for those with extracardiac conduits (extracardiac-total cavopulmonary connection) are perhaps the most challenging because of exclusion of the venous circulation from the arrhythmia substrate. Puncture through the inferior vena cava to the pulmonary venous atrium may be an effective route for access in these patients. METHODS AND RESULTS The pediatric and adult congenital surgical databases were explored for patients with extracardiac-total cavopulmonary connection and postoperative computed tomography imaging to assess for the presence of clinically relevant (>3 mm) apposition between the inferior vena cava and pulmonary venous atrium (cavoatrial overlap). The degree of overlap between the structures was measured by 2 blinded reviewers. Patients were stratified by surgical repair in childhood versus adult congenital heart disease. Thirty-seven patients were identified, with cavoatrial overlap observed in 9 (36%) of pediatric and 1 (9%) of adult congenital heart disease-repaired patients. Time elapsed after surgery was associated with cavoatrial overlap in the pediatric cohort (P=0.034) and was identified in all pediatric patients with computed tomography imaging ≥8 years after surgery. Three patients underwent successful transcaval puncture during the study period without complication. CONCLUSIONS Puncture through a region of overlap between the inferior vena cava and pulmonary venous atrium is feasible. Cavoatrial overlap is present in a substantial proportion of patients undergoing extracardiac-total cavopulmonary connection in childhood and is associated with a longer time elapsed since surgery.