Atrial Septal Defect In Children Research Articles

Differential diagnosis of congenital ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect in children using deep learning–based analysis of chest radiographs

BackgroundChildren with atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) are frequently examined for respiratory symptoms, even when the underlying disease is not found. Chest radiographs often serve as the primary imaging modality. It is crucial to differentiate between ASD and VSD due to their distinct treatment.PurposeTo assess whether deep learning analysis of chest radiographs can more effectively differentiate between ASD and VSD in children.MethodsIn this retrospective study, chest radiographs and corresponding radiology reports from 1,194 patients were analyzed. The cases were categorized into a training set and a validation set, comprising 480 cases of ASD and 480 cases of VSD, and a test set with 115 cases of ASD and 119 cases of VSD. Four deep learning network models—ResNet-CBAM, InceptionV3, EfficientNet, and ViT—were developed for training, and a fivefold cross-validation method was employed to optimize the models. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to assess the performance of each model. The most effective algorithm was compared with the interpretations provided by two radiologists on 234 images from the test group.ResultsThe average accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the four deep learning models in the differential diagnosis of VSD and ASD were higher than 70%. The AUC values of ResNet-CBAM, IncepetionV3, EfficientNet, and ViT were 0.87, 0.91, 0.90, and 0.66, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the differential diagnosis efficiency of InceptionV3 was the highest, reaching 87% classification accuracy. The accuracy of InceptionV3 in the differential diagnosis of VSD and ASD was higher than that of the radiologists.ConclusionsDeep learning methods such as IncepetionV3 based on chest radiographs in the study showed good performance for differential diagnosis of congenital VSD and ASD, which may be able to assist radiologists in diagnosis, education, and training, and reduce missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis.

Analysis of the therapeutic effect of right mid-axillary approach in the surgical treatment of ASD and VSD in children

BackgroundTo compare the therapeutic effects of right vertical infra-axillary thoracotomy (RVIAT) and Standard Median Sternotomy (SMS) in the repair of atrial septal defect (ASD) and ventricular septal defect (VSD), and to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of right subaxillary incision technique in the surgical treatment of common congenital heart disease (CHD) in children.MethodsData of children diagnosed with ASD repair or VSD repair at our center from September 2019 to September 2022 were collected. Based on propensity score matching, 214 children (107 in the RVIAT group and 107 in the SMS group) who completed ASD repair surgery and 242 children (121 in the RVIAT group and 121 in the SMS group) who completed VSD repair surgery were selected for the study. The perioperative and follow-up data of the two surgical approaches were compared to evaluate clinical efficacy.ResultsThere was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) between the two surgical approaches in terms of surgical time, aortic occlusion time, total amount of ultrafiltration fluid, ICU stay time, and hospital stay; The intraoperative blood loss and total postoperative drainage fluid in the RVIAT group were lower than those in the SMS group (p < 0.05); The incidence of postoperative thoracic deformities in the SMS group is higher than that in the RVIAT group.ConclusionThe safety and effectiveness of the two approaches are similar, but RVIAT has less intraoperative bleeding, less postoperative drainage fluid and tube time, and better concealment and cosmetic effects, which is worthy of further clinical promotion and application.

Evaluation of intracardial hemodynamics in children under 1 year of age with atrial septal defect

Aim: evaluation of the intracardiac hemodynamics and determination indications for early correction of the atrial septal defect in children before 1 year age.Methods. The study included patients observed from 2010 to 2021. The first group was formed from children under the age of 12 months with ASD and were observed for the next 4 years until its interventional or surgical elimination. The second group included healthy children of the appropriate age. All patients underwent an echocardiographic (ECHO) study with assessment of the main parameters of hemodynamics and intracardial structures.Results. The first group included 887 children with ASD, the control group included 887 healthy children. The age of the patients included in the study was 6 ± 2.6 months. for group I and 6 ± 2.5 months. for the second one. It was found that in young children with ASD, the first manifestation of hemodynamic changes was dilatation of the right ventricle, then the right atrium and finally dilatation of the pulmonary trunk, which was accompanied by an increase in pressure in the pulmonary circulation and weight loss. In 11% of patients, spontaneous closure of the ASD occurs within the first year of life. Almost 20% of patients are younger than 6 months. have clinical and hemodynamic indications for surgical treatment of ASD.Conclusions. Indications for the atrial septal defect closure should be determined taking into account clinical, anatomical and hemodynamic parameters.

Safety and Effectiveness of Transthoracic Echocardiography and Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Interventional Closure of Atrial Septal Defects in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: Through this meta-analysis, a systematic review was conducted on the effects of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in the interventional closure of atrial septal defects (ASDs) in children. Methods: We searched papers in the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, CNKI, Wanfang, Embase, and VIP databases. The search time limit was from the establishment of the database to May 2023. Randomized controlled trials on the effect of TTE and TEE in the interventional closure of ASD in children were screened. The included results were integrated and analyzed, and ReviewManager 5.4 was used for the meta-analysis. Results: Six studies with a total of 253 patients with ASD were included in this meta-analysis. Results showed that the surgical success rate in each study was more than 90%, with no difference between TEE and TTE (p = 0.11; risk ratio (RR) = 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89 to 1.04). The surgery time of TTE was significantly shorter than that of TEE (standard mean difference (SMD) = –1.52, 95% CI: –2.30 to –0.74). The fluoroscopy time of TTE was shorter than that of TEE (SMD = –0.69, 95% CI: –1.08 to –0.30). We found no significant difference in complication rates (RR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.09 to 1.39). Conclusion: The combination of TTE and TEE is important during surgery, and postoperative complications are relatively small. The surgery time and fluoroscopy time of TTE are shorter than those of TEE.

School electrocardiography screening program prompts the detection of otherwise unrecognized atrial septal defect in children in Japan.

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart disease that often presents without symptoms or murmurs. If left untreated, children with ASD can develop comorbidities in adulthood. In Japan, school electrocardiography (ECG) screening has been implemented for all 1st, 7th, and 10th graders. However, the impact of this program in detecting children with ASD is unknown. This is a retrospective study that analyzed consecutive patients with ASD who underwent catheterization for surgical or catheter closure at ≤18 years of age during 2009-2019 at a tertiary referral center in Japan. Of the overall 116 patients with ASD (median age: 3.0 years of age at diagnosis and 8.9 years at catheterization), 43 (37%) were prompted by the ECG screening (Screening group), while the remaining 73 (63%) were by other findings (Non-screening group). Of the 49 patients diagnosed at ≥6 years of age, 43 (88%) were prompted by the ECG screening, with the 3 corresponding peaks of the number of patients at diagnosis. Compared with the non-screening group, the screening group exhibited similar levels of hemodynamic parameters but had a lower proportion of audible heart murmur, which were mainly prompted by the health care and health checkups in infancy or preschool period. Patients positive for a composite parameter (rsR' type of iRBBB, inverted T in V4, or ST depression in the aVF lead) accounted for 79% of the screening group at catheterization, each of which was correlated with hemodynamic parameters in the overall patients. The present study shows that school ECG screening detects otherwise unrecognized ASD, which prompted the diagnosis of the majority of patients at school age and >one-third of overall patients in Japan. These findings suggest that ECG screening program could be an effective strategy for detecting hemodynamically significant ASD in students, who are asymptomatic and murmurless.

Intelligent diagnosis of atrial septal defect in children using echocardiography with deep learning

BackgroundAtrial septal defect (ASD) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases. The diagnosis of ASD via transthoracic echocardiography is subjective and time-consuming. MethodsThe objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of automatic detection of ASD in children based on color Doppler echocardiographic static images using end-to-end convolutional neural networks. The proposed depthwise separable convolution model identifies ASDs with static color Doppler images in a standard view. Among the standard views, we selected two echocardiographic views, i.e., the subcostal sagittal view of the atrium septum and the low parasternal four-chamber view. The developed ASD detection system was validated using a training set consisting of 396 echocardiographic images corresponding to 198 cases. Additionally, an independent test dataset of 112 images corresponding to 56 cases was used, including 101 cases with ASDs and 153 cases with normal hearts. ResultsThe average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, recall, precision, specificity, F1-score, and accuracy of the proposed ASD detection model were 91.99, 80.00, 82.22, 87.50, 79.57, and 83.04, respectively. ConclusionsThe proposed model can accurately and automatically identify ASD, providing a strong foundation for the intelligent diagnosis of congenital heart diseases.

Can Artificial Intelligence Revolutionize the Diagnosis and Management of the Atrial Septal Defect in Children?

Atrial septal defects (ASDs) present a significant healthcare challenge, demanding accurate and timely diagnosis and precise management to ensure optimal patient outcomes. Artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare are rapidly evolving, offering promise for enhanced medical decision-making and patient care. In the context of cardiology, the integration of AI promises to provide more efficient and accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies for ASD patients. In interventional cardiology, sometimes the lack of precise measurement of the cardiac rims evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography combined with the floppy aspect of the rims can mislead and result in complications. AI software can be created to generate responses for difficult tasks, like which device is the most suitable for different shapes and dimensions to prevent embolization or erosion. This paper reviews the current state of AI in healthcare and its applications in cardiology, emphasizing the specific opportunities and challenges in applying AI to ASD diagnosis and management. By exploring the capabilities and limitations of AI in ASD diagnosis and management. This paper highlights the evolution of medical practice towards a more AI-augmented future, demonstrating the capacity of AI to unlock new possibilities for healthcare professionals and patients alike.

Kiosk 2R-FB-11 - Left Ventricular Hemodynamics Recover After Closure of Atrial Septal Defect in Children

Kiosk 2R-FB-11 - Left Ventricular Hemodynamics Recover After Closure of Atrial Septal Defect in Children

Outcomes Following Closure of Secundum Atrial Septal Defect in Children ≤ 15 kg in a French Tertiary Centre.

Secundum atrial septal defects (sASDs) are common congenital cardiac defects mostly treated using a transcatheter approach. However, small children (<15 kg) are still undergoing surgical sASD closure in many centres. Although both options have been proved to have excellent results in children, comparative data of the two techniques are missing for patients ≤ 15 kg. The medical records of children ≤ 15 kg who underwent sASD surgical (group A) and transcatheter (group B) closure between 2010 and 2023 were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-five children in group A and twenty-two in group B were included (mean weight 8.9 kg in group A and 10.3 kg in group B). The main indications for closure were right heart enlargement and failure to thrive. Major complications occurred in two patients in group A and none in group B. Minor complications occurred in eight patients in group A and one in group B. At last follow-up, symptoms resolved completely or improved significantly for all infants, with the exception of failure to thrive in the sub-population of children with extra-cardiac comorbidities. sASD closure can be performed safely in symptomatic infants ≤ 15 kg, even in the presence of comorbidity, and should not be postponed. However, in patients with extra-cardiac comorbidities, the only indication of growth retardation must be carefully evaluated.

Abstract 17665: School Electrocardiography Screening Program Prompts the Detection of Otherwise Unrecognized Atrial Septal Defect in Children in Japan

Background: Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart disease that often presents without symptoms or murmurs. If left untreated, children with ASD can develop comorbidities in adulthood. In Japan, school electrocardiography (ECG) screening has been implemented for all 1st, 7th, and 10th graders. However, the impact of this program in detecting children with ASD is unknown. Hypothesis: School ECG screening program prompts the detection of otherwise unrecognized ASD in children in Japan. Methods: This is a retrospective study that analyzed consecutive patients with ASD who underwent catheterization for surgical or catheter closure at ≤18 years of age during 2009-2019 at a tertiary referral center in Japan. Results: Of the overall 116 patients with ASD (median age of 3.0 years at diagnosis and 8.9 years at catheterization), 43 (37%) were prompted by the ECG screening (Screening group), while the remaining 73 (63%) were by other findings (Non-screening group). Of the 49 patients diagnosed at ≥6 years of age, 43 (88%) were prompted by the ECG screening, with the 3 corresponding peaks of the number of patients at diagnosis. Compared with the non-screening group, the screening group exhibited similar levels of hemodynamic parameters but had a lower proportion of audible heart murmur (Levine 2/6 or higher) and coexisting diseases at catheterizarion (p=0.016), which were mainly prompted by the health care and health checkups in infancy or preschool period. Patients positive for a composite parameter (iRBBB, inverted T in V4, or ST depression in the aVF lead) accounted for 79% of the screening group at catheterization, each of which was correlated with hemodynamic parameters in the overall patients (p&lt;.05). Conclusions: The present study showed that school ECG screening detected otherwise unrecognized ASD, which prompted the diagnosis of the majority of patients at school age and &gt; one-third of overall patients in Japan. These findings suggest that ECG screening program could be valuable for detecting hemodynamically significant ASD in students, who are asymptomatic and murmurless.

The development and validation of an artificial intelligence-based screening method for atrial septal defect in children's chest x-rays.

For precise diagnosis and effective management of atrial septal defects, it is of utmost significance to conduct elementary screenings on children. The primary aim of this study is to develop and authenticate an objective methodology for detecting atrial septal defects by employing deep learning (DL) on chest x-ray (CXR) examinations. This retrospective study encompassed echocardiographs and corresponding Chest x-rays that were consistently gathered at Qingdao Women's and Children's Hospital from 2018 to 2022. Based on a collaborative diagnosis report by two cardiologists with over 10 years of experience in echocardiography, these radiographs were classified as positive or negative for atrial septal defect, and then divided into training and validation datasets. An artificial intelligence model was formulated by utilizing the training dataset and fine-tuned using the validation dataset. To evaluate the efficacy of the model, an assessment of the area under the curve, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value was conducted employing the validation dataset. This research encompassed a total of 420 images from individuals. The screening accuracy and recall rate of the model surpass 90%. One of profound neural network models predicated on chest x-ray radiographs (a traditional, extensively employed, and economically viable examination) proves highly advantageous in the assessment for atrial septal defect.

Relationship Between Transthoracic Echocardiography and Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Anatomic and Hemodynamic Assessment of Secundum Atrial Septal Defects in Children and Adults

Objective: To determine the relationship between transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in the anatomic and hemodynamic assessment of secundum atrial septal defects in children and adults.&#x0D; Study Design: Cross-sectional study.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatric Cardiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi Pakistan, from Jul 2020 to Jun 2021.&#x0D; Methodology: Seventy-seven patients above three years of age with secundum atrial septal defects were included. Linear regression was used to determine any statistically significant difference between transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography approaches.&#x0D; Results: Of 77 patients, there were 37(48.1%) male and 40(51.9%) female. No significant difference was noted in terms of any of the clinical parameters during transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography. As per transthoracic echocardiography, 35(45.5%) were noted to be deviceable, while in transesophageal echocardiography, 36(46.8%) patients were found to be deviceable (p=0.872). No emergency exploration or deaths occurred. Linear regression showed no statistically significant difference between transthoracic echocardiogram and transesophageal echocardiography findings in terms of atrial septal defects size (p=0.226), total septal length (p=0.930), RV systolic pressure (p=0.440), RV functions and TAPSE (0.748) except LV ejection fraction function findings (p&lt;0.001).&#x0D; Conclusion: Anatomic and hemodynamic assessment of secundum atrial septal defects in children and adults correlated well with transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography.

The Prevalence of and Predisposing Factors for Late Atrial Arrhythmias after Transcatheter Closure of Secundum Atrial Septal Defects in Children.

A 24 h Holter study in children after transcatheter secundum ASD (ASD II) closure was conducted to detect the prevalence of defects and/or device-related late atrial arrhythmias (LAAs). ASD II closure with an Amplatzer septal occluder (ASO) is an established procedure. Little is known about LAAs after device implantation. The eligible participants were children who had undergone ASO implantation, with a follow-up of ≥5 years, as well as one pre- and at least one post-procedural Holter ECG. In total, 161 patients (mean age: 6.2 ± 4.3 years), with a mean follow-up of 12.9 ± 3.1 years (range 5-19), were included. A median of four Holter ECGs per patient were available. LAAs occurred before intervention in four patients (2.5%), and it was peri-interventional in four patients (2.5%), sustained in three patients (1.9%), and developed in three patients (1.9%). In patients with pre- and peri-interventional LAAs, the Qp/Qs ratio was higher (6.4 ± 3.9 vs. non-AA: 2.0 ± 1.1 (p = 0.002)) and the IAS/ASO ratio was lower (1.18 ± 0.27 vs. non-AA: 1.7 ± 0.4 (p < 0.001)). The patients with LAAs differed from those without LAAs in their Qp/Qs (6.8 ± 3.5 vs. 2.0 ± 1.3; p < 0.0001) and IAS/ASO ratios (1.14 ± 0.19 vs. 1.73 ± 0.45; p < 0.001). The patients with LAAs had a Qp/Qs ratio ≥2.94:1, and those who developed LAAs had an IAS/ASO ratio <1.15. LAAs occurred in 1.9% of patients and were sustained in another 1.9% of patients but persisted in those with large shunt defects and large occluders in relation to the atrial septal length. The predisposing factors for LAAs after ASD closure were a high Qp/Qs ratio, pre-existing atrial arrhythmias, and a low IAS/ASO ratio.

Minimally invasive and endovascular closure of atrial septal defect in children of different ages

Highlights. The article presents the outcomes of endovascular and minimally invasive atrial septal defect closure in children under the age of 3 and aged 3 to 18 years with subsequent assessment of heart remodeling.Aim. To compare the outcome and features of cardiac remodeling (CR) in children under and over 3 years of age after minimally invasive (MI) and endovascular closure of atrial septal defect (ASD).Methods. The retrospective single-center study included 100 children with secondary ASD who underwent endovascular and MI ASD closure. The patients were divided into 2 groups. The first group (n = 42) included children under the age of 3 years after MI and EC, the median age was 2 years [1.5; 3], and the second group (n = 58) included children aged 4-18 years after MI and EC, the median age was 7 years [6; 12], respectively, p = 0.001. According to the design of the study, the groups statistically differed in height and body weight (p = 0.001). According to the ASD diameter, there were no differences between the groups (p&lt;0.05) in the number of patients with perforated atrial septal aneurysms and aortic rim deficiency. During inpatient care and 3–4 months after surgery, the outcome and indices of CR obtained by echo imaging were assessed.Results. Surgical outcomes and medium-term follow-up analysis revealed that all children in both groups successfully underwent ASD closure in the absence of residual shunts. There were no hospital-acquired and medium-term complications. The length of hospital stay of children under 3 years was 7.5 days. [3; 9], which was significantly longer in comparison with the children of the older age group (3 days. [3;7]), (p = 0,001). ICU length of stay in the younger group of children was 24 hours [0; 24], while in the older group it was 0 days. [0; 24], p = 0,001. In the postoperative period, hemoglobin levels significantly decreased in children under 3 years of age (from 124.5 [119; 130] g/L, to 105 [97; 122] g/L, (p = 0.001)), while in the older age group this indicator remained the same. The analysis of features of CR during 3-4-month follow-up in both groups revealed that the initial changes indicating pathological CR were more pronounced in children older than 3 years. Significant dynamics of echocardiographic indices were observed in both groups during follow-up period, it manifested in the form of an increased volume and size of the left heart, and decreased volume and size of the right heart.Conclusion. Endovascular and minimally invasive ASD closure is an effective and safe technique of ASD closure in children of various ages. In children over 3 years of age, pathological CR is initially more pronounced than in children under 3 years of age, indicating the expediency of an early ASD closure. At the same time, younger children more often require mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary bypass, and a longer hospital stay and ICU stay. Higher number of EC performed in the group of young children could offset these negative consequences. Changes in CR indices after ASD closure in groups of children of different ages demonstrates comparable positive trends.

Incidence and predictors of pericardial effusion following surgical closure of atrial septal defect in children: A single center experience.

ObjectivesTo evaluate the incidence of pericardial effusion (PE) after surgical atrial septal defect (ASD) closure and to investigate the presence of predictive risk factors for its development.MethodsWe collected data from 203 patients followed at Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital of Rome who underwent cardiac surgery for ASD repair between January 2015 and September 2019.ResultsA total of 200/203 patients with different types of ASD were included. Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1) 38 (19%) who developed PE and Group 2) 162 (81%) without PE. No differences were noted between the two groups with regard to gender or age at the surgery. Fever in the 48 h after surgery was significantly more frequent in group 1 than in group 2 (23.7 vs. 2.5%; p < 0.0001). ECG at discharge showed significant ST-segment elevation in children who developed PE, 24.3 vs. 2.0% in those who did not (p < 0.0001). Group 1 patients were divided into two subgroups on the basis of the severity of PE, namely, 31 (81.6%) with mild and 7 (18.4%) with moderate/severe PE. Patients with moderate/severe PE had a significantly higher BMI value (median 19.1 Kg/m2) (range 15.9–23.4, p = 0.004).ConclusionThe presence of fever and ST-segment elevation after surgery predicts subsequent development of PE suggesting a closer follow-up for these categories of patients. A higher BMI appears to be associated with a higher risk of moderate/severe PE.

Transcatheter closure of “Surgical” ostium secundum atrial septal defects with GORE® Cardioform ASD Occluder

To evaluate the GORE® Cardioform ASD Occluder (GCA)(WL Gore & Associates) device for closure of ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) with predicted indication for surgical correction. Closure of large ASD in small children by transcatheter approach is still challenging. This study evaluated the results of GCA in this subset of patients in a tertiary referral center. Between January 2020 and March 2022, 97 children underwent transcatheter ASD closure at our Institution. Of them, 38 had a large defect (diameter/weight > 1.2 or diameter/body surface area > 20 mm/m2 ), predicted suitable for surgery and underwent closure with GCA. Procedure results and midterm outcome are reported. Patients' age and weight were 5.5 ± 1.5 years and 19.7 ± 4.7 kg, respectively. Absolute and relative ASD size was 21.5 ± 3.6 mm, 1.1 ± 0.2 mm/kg, and 27.7 ± 4.6 mm/m2 , respectively, resulting in QP/QS of 2.0 ± 0.8. Three patients were sent to surgery after balloon sizing. Four of the remaining 35 patients who underwent device deployment, needed rescue or elective surgery due to device embolization (n = 1), device instability (n = 2) or new-onset tricuspid valve regurgitation (n = 1). Procedure feasibility was 88.6%. Major complications were recorded in two patients (5.7%). Minor complications were recorded in five patients (14.3%). Complete closure at discharge was 90.3% (28/31 pts) rising to 100% at the last follow-up evaluation. Wireframe fracture rate at the 6 months examination was 52%, without clinical and instrumental consequences. Percutaneous treatment with GCA device is effective and safe in a high percentage of ASD children with predicted indications for surgical correction.

Mid-term follow-up by speckle tracking and cardiac MRI of children post-transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects.

This is a case-control study of our experience of mid-term follow-up of 40 children who had a transcatheter closure of very large atrial septal defects group (1). All cases had an atrial septal defect device size more than 1.5 times their weight, a ratio considered a contraindication for trans catheter closure (TCC) in some previous reports. The aim of this study is to report the outcomes and mid-term follow-up of transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects using two-dimensional conventional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and four-dimensional speckle tracking imaging, and as such to compare results of same echocardiographic examination of age-matched control group of 40 healthy children group (2). Cardiac MRI was performed on cases group (1) only to detect right ventricle and left ventricle volumes and function and early signs of complications. There was no difference between cases and matched healthy controls in terms of the assessment of left ventricle and right ventricle by two-dimensional echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and four-dimensional speckle tracking imaging. Similarly, there was no statistically significant difference between four-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac MRI in their respective assessment of both left ventricle and right ventricle volumes and function. We also detected no complications by echo or by cardiac MRI after a median follow-up period of 2 years and recorded a complete remodelling of right ventricle volumes in all children studied. This points to the safety and efficiency of transcatheter closure of large atrial septal defects in children on mid-term follow-up.

Transcatheter Closure of Atrial Septal Defect in Children: Single-Center Experience, Mid-Term Follow-up Results.

Objective:Atrial septal defect is a congenital heart disease usually diagnosed in childhood. This study aimed to evaluate the mid-term follow-up results of patients who underwent transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect by comparing the devices and methods used in the procedure and investigating the complications of this procedure in children.Materials and Methods:This study evaluated 232 patient files retrospectively. Of the 232 patients, 24 were excluded from the study due to missing files or data. Also, patients with multi-fenestrated atrial septal defect and aneurismatic septal tissue were excluded from the study. The following data were evaluated: follow-up time, patient complaints, symptoms, transthoracic echocardiography, and transesophageal echocardiography findings (if performed), the size of the defect as measured by balloon-sizing, the size of the device used in the procedure, and major and minor complications.Results:The study included 208 children who were diagnosed with atrial septal defect. The mean age of the patients was 88.0 ± 56.5 months. Of the patients, 170 (81.7%) had no complaints. The success rate of the procedure was found to be 95.7%. While device embolization was the most common major complication, arrhythmia was the most common minor complication. The complication rate was statistically different according to the device type used in the procedure.Conclusion:Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect is a safe method for atrial septal defect closure in pediatric patients. The study found that defect diameters measured by different methods were not correlated with each other. The procedure complication rates differed according to device type.

Cardiac remodeling and outcome after endovascular and minimally invasive closure of atrial septal defect in children

Highlights. The article analyzes the features of cardiac remodeling and the outcomes of endovascular and minimally invasive closure of atrial septal defects in children.Aim. To compare the features of cardiac remodeling (CR) and the outcomes of endovascular and minimally invasive closure of atrial septal defects (ASD) in children.Methods. The study included 60 children with secundum ASD who underwent minimally invasive (MIC) or endovascular closure (EC) of ASD from the beginning of 2017 to the beginning of 2020. Patients were divided into two groups. The first group (n = 30) consisted of patients undergoing MIC, median age 5 years [2;12], and the second group (n = 30) consisted of patients undergoing EC, median age 5.5 years [1.7;13], p&gt;0.05. The groups were comparable in gender, height, and body weight (p&gt;0.05). The groups differed in the diameter of ASD. ASD defect size was 14 mm [7;30] in the MIC group, and 11.5 mm [7;22] in the EC group. The following indicators were assessed during hospital stay: the outcome of the intervention, residual shunt, hospital-acquired complications, and indicators that characterize CR before the procedure and 3-4 months after surgery.Results. The analysis revealed that all children successfully underwent minimally invasive and endovascular closure of ASD (confirmed absence of residual shunt). Hospital-acquired and long-term complications were not detected. Data are presented as a median and percentile. In the MIC group all patients required blood transfusion, intraoperative blood loss was 445 mL [300;1290], while in the EC group the blood loss did not exceed 5 mL [5;15], p = 0.001. EC was much more advantageous in terms of length of hospital stay (LoS) compared to MIC; in the MIC group LoS was 8 [6;14] days, and in the EC group LoS was 3 [3;4] days, p = 0.001. LoS in the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care after MIC was 24 [3;96] hours, while patients in the EC group did not need to be transferred to this Department, p = 0.001. In both groups, significant changes were observed during 3–4-month follow-up in the form of a decrease in the volumetric and dimensional parameters of the right chambers and simultaneous increase in the same parameters of the left chambers.Conclusion. Minimally invasive and endovascular surgeries are effective and safe treatment modalities for ASD in children (median age of 5–5.5 years), which positively affect CR according to 3–4-month follow-up. At the same time, the advantages of EC regarding the intraoperative blood loss / blood transfusion, the need for mechanical ventilation, cardiopulmonary bypass, and LoS in the ICU and hospital are highlighted.

Transcatheter Occluder Devices for the Closure of Atrial Septal Defect in Children: How Safe and Effective Are They? A Systematic Review.

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a hole in the interatrial septum (IAS) of the heart that is one of the most common congenital heart diseases (CHD). Percutaneous transcatheter device occlusion is one of the techniques that have been developed for the closure of atrial septal defects. The primary objective of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of septal occluder devices in the management of atrial septal defect in children. We searched PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar databases to collect relevant articles according to a predetermined eligibility criteria and included 21 papers of different study designs in this systematic review. We found that transcatheter closure is safe and effective in most children with ASD. The major complications reported could be avoided by comprehensive clinical assessment and echocardiographic evaluation to determine appropriate device size and implantation strategy per individual child. Further research involving more clinical trials with larger sample size and longer duration of followup is required to improve the safety of existing devices for their use in all children with ASD despite their weight and defect size, and also the efficacy of newer devices such as biodegradable septal occluders.