Abstract
Percutaneous aortic coarctation treatment with primary stent implantation is the first choice in adult patients. However, current guidelines do not suggest a lower weight limit to perform this procedure safely. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze the safety and the mid-term outcome of aortic coarctation stenting in pediatric age at different patients' weights. We enrolled 47 patients, 8 of them weighting lower than 25 kg, 10 with a weight between 25 and 30 kg and 29 patients with a weight >30 kg. Covered CP stent was used in 32 patients (68.1%), bare CP stent in 6 (12.8%), Andrastent XL in 8 (17.0%) and Palmaz Genesis in one case (2.1%). The balloon mean diameter was 13.8 ± 2.4 mm, range 10-18 mm. The procedure was effective in all patients. The aortic gradient dropped from 28.0 ± 7.8 mmHg to 2.2 ± 2.0 mmHg (p < 0.0001). Hemostasis was achieved by a surgical cut-down in 20 (42.5%) patients, manual compression in 2 (4.3%) or by vascular closure devices (VCDs) in 25 (53.2%) patients. There was no difference in terms of efficacy, safety and complication rate among the three weight-based groups. We found a trend toward higher incidence of vascular complications following hemostasis with VCDs (4/24, 16.7%) vs surgical cut-down (1/21; 4.8%) In conclusion, aortic coarctation stenting is a safe procedure in patients weighing less than 30 kg. Surgical arterial cut-down can minimize the risk of vascular injury by reducing the stress on the arterial wall in smaller patients, or in case, a large sheath is needed.