title: Efficiency of transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects in small and symptomatic children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We report the multicentric French experience with transcatheter closure in children weighing 15 kilograms or less, with the aim of assessing the efficacy of the procedure in this age group.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included all children weighing 15 kilograms or less, and seen between January, 1997, and June, 2004, who had successful transcatheter closure of an interatrial communication within the oval fossa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Transcatheter closure was performed in 35 patients weighing 15 kilograms or less, of whom 14 were male and 21 female. The procedures were undertaken in 8 different centres, the patients having a median age of 3 years, with a range from zero to 6.2 years, and a mean weight of 13 kilograms, with a range from 3.6 to 15 kilograms. All the patients were symptomatic, with associated cardiac malformations present in 4 cases, and extracardiac anomalies in 4 patients, including Down's syndrome in 3, and Adams Oliver syndrome in the other case. In 1 patient, emergency cardiac surgery was needed 24 h after the procedure to correct a previously undiagnosed divided right atrium. No other complication occurred. After a median follow-up of 2 years, with a range from 0.5 to 5.2 years, all the patients are asymptomatic, except for one long-standing patient with bronchodysplasia. In 1 other patient, a small residual bidirectional shunt was detected by echocardiography. No patient presented significant arrhythmia. In the patients followed-up for more than 12 months, we found a significant gain in weight gain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transcatheter closure of an interatrial communication within the oval fossa is efficient in children weighing 15 kilograms or less, and can be proposed as a first line of treatment in symptomatic patients. Children with retarded growth tend to have complete recovery within one year of closure.
authors.affiliation: Cardiologie Pédiatrique, Département de Cardiologie, Hôpital La Timone, Marseille, France. alain.fraisse@ap-hm.fr
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fraisse
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Losay
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bourlon
authors.forename: Gabriella
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Agnoletti
authors.forename: Jean-René
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Lusson
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Godart
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Geeter
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: Jean François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Piechaud
mesh_terms: D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006344:Heart Septal Defects, Atrial / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D019736:Prostheses and Implants