title: Balloon dilation of the pulmonary valve in premature infants with tetralogy of Fallot.
abstract: Infants with tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) presenting with desaturation may require augmentation of the pulmonary blood flow, usually in the form of a Blalock-Taussig shunt. Shunts may result in a preferential increase in blood flow to one lung. They also may be associated with significant morbidity and possibly mortality of premature infants. Balloon dilation of the pulmonary valve is reported to improve saturation in early infancy. This report describes two premature infants (weighing, respectively, 1.8 and 1.6 kg) with ToF and desaturation for whom balloon dilation of the pulmonary valve showed good results. Neither infant required palliative surgery. At this writing, one infant has already undergone complete repair.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar, New Delhi 110044, India. vkohli_md@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kohli
authors.forename: Sushil
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azad
authors.forename: Manvinder Singh
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.forename: Reena
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: Raja
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.forename: Makram R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ebeid
authors.forename: Ebeid R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Makram
mesh_terms: D002404:Catheterization; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care; D011664:Pulmonary Valve; D013771:Tetralogy of Fallot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D014463:Ultrasonography