Interventional catheterization management of perioperative peripheral pulmonary stenosis: balloon angioplasty or endovascular stenting.

There is limited reported experience of catheterization therapy for peripheral pulmonary stenosis (PPS) at a surgical site in the early postoperative period. We reviewed the clinical course of patients undergoing interventional catheterization for PPS at a surgical site < 7 weeks after surgery. Successful dilation (SD) was defined as > 50% increase in predilation diameter. From 1984 to 2000, 17 patients had 19 proximal pulmonary arteries dilated 1 to 46 (median 8) days postoperatively. Median age and weight were 3.1 year and 12.7 kg. Three arteries were initially occluded. Seventeen arteries had initial BD with postintervention imaging available in 15; 8 arteries had SD. The arterial diameter increased from 3.9 +/- 2.6 to 5.5 +/- 2.8 mm (P < 0.001). Nine of these arteries had stents placed with diameter increasing to 8.7 +/- 3.7 mm (P < 0.001 compared with post-BD diameter). Stents increased the diameter in all arteries and made four of four failed BD successful. In the two most recent procedures, stents were placed without prior BD with diameter increasing from 1.3 to 9 mm and 8.2 to 14 mm. A stent was placed in 1 of 7 arteries prior to 1993 and in 10 of 12 arteries thereafter (P < 0.004). Three patients prior to 1995 had catheterization-related deaths secondary to vessel rupture after BD. BD produces SD in approximately one-half of the procedures but is associated with mortality. Stent placement increases vessel diameter substantially more than BD alone. Stents reduce the acute complication rate and avoid early reoperation in this patient group.