title: Antegrade left heart catheterization.
abstract: Retograde arterial catheterization has been the standard approach to hemodynamic and angiographic evaluation of the left ventricle and systemic arterial system. An alternative approach--antegrade left heart catheterization--is reported that circumvents arterial puncture. During cardiac catheterization from the femoral vein in 18 children with normally related great arteries who had interatrial communications, a balloon-tipped catheter was looped in a "clockwise" fashion through the left atrium and left ventricle and into the ascending aorta. In 17 children the maneuver was rapidly accomplished without complications; it proved possible to perform in an infant with a hypoplastic left ventricular cavity, and was employed to perform a renal arteriogram. The major advantage of antegrade left heart catheterization is avoidance of complications related to arterial puncture. The antegrade approach also avoids right arm cut-down in children with coarctation of the aorta.
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn