Transcatheter Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus: Initial Study on Echocardiographic Estimation of Device Size

BACKGROUND Transcatheter occlusion of the patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a minimally invasive treatment. The appropriate device size is chosen based on the angiographic measurement of the PDA. The current study aimed to assess the relationship between the transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) measurements of the PDA prior to the occlusion procedure and the actual size of the deployed device. METHODS We reviewed the available records of 7 patients (2 male) who underwent the procedure at our institution (mean age: 21 ± 12.7 years, range: 7 to 46 years). PDA closure was performed successfully using the Amplatzer Duct Occluder (n = 5) and its Chinese copycat, Cardi-O-Fix Occluder (n = 2). RESULTS The TTE measurement of the aortic end diameter of the PDA showed a good linear regression correlation with the size of the implanted duct occluder [duct occluder size = 0.543 + (0.941× TTE measured diameter), R = 0.907; p value ≤ 0.01]. CONCLUSION TTE can provide a good estimation of the size of the Amplatzer duct occluder.