Left ventricular and aortic catheterization and angiography via a patent ductus arteriosus: a new technique.

A new "transductal" technique of aortic arch and left ventricular angiography in patients with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is described by introducing the catheter to the aortic arch from the pulmonary artery via the PDA. Over a 4-year period, 44 infants and children with complicated PDA underwent cardiac catheterization with this technique at our institution. Twenty-five of the 30 in the group with PDA alone and 12 of 14 in the group with associated cardiac defects had successful aortic arch catheterization and angiography, an 84% success rate. No complications were encountered during the procedure. The technique offers a safe alternative to retrograde arterial catheterization in patients with PDA who have other associated lesions.