Interventional treatment for fetus and newborn infant with congenital heart disease.
BACKGROUND
Catheter intervention has become popular not only in adult patients but in younger patients with congenital heart disease. The early neonatal catheter interventional treatment has also been attempted in conjunction with the development of prenatal diagnosis of the congenital heart disease.


METHODS
Recent articles concerning several severe structural cardiac diseases in newborns, such as critical aortic stenosis, complete transposition of the great arteries, premature constriction of the ductus arteriosus, and pulmonary stenosis or atresia with intact ventricular septum are introduced with consideration.


RESULTS
This study investigated our own experiences of early neonatal balloon valvuloplasty in a patient with critical aortic stenosis carried out immediately after the delivery following prenatal diagnosis. A case with prenatal diagnosis of premature constriction of ductus arteriosus which could prevent persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn by early delivery at 39 weeks and 1 day of gestation were reported.


CONCLUSIONS
Several cardiac interventional treatments performed in the present time during the perinatal period and some prospects in the near future are described in the discussion.
Satomi
G
G
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Nagano Children's Hospital, Nagano, Japan. gsatomi@naganoch.gr.jp
Yasukochi
S
S
Imai
T
T
Takigiku
K
K
Tekehiko
I
I
Harada
Y
Y
Takeuchi
T
T
Watanabe
M
M
Ishikawa
S
S
D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon / Q000379:methods*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D003251:Constriction, Pathologic / Q000628:therapy; D004373:Ductus Arteriosus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000002:abnormalities*; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*