title: Stent fractures in congenital heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe incidence, characteristics, predictive factors, and sequelae of stent fractures in congenital heart disease.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Stent fracture in congenital heart disease patients is rarely reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with stents implanted from 1990 to 2006, with subsequent fluoroscopy were enrolled. Information obtained included: stent type, location, balloon diameter, and residual narrowing. Fracture characteristics, radiographic appearance, and clinical sequelae were also obtained in those with fractures identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  : Two hundred and sixty-five patients (583 stents) had fluoroscopy 4.2 +/- 3.3 years after stent implantation. The majority of stents (395, 67.7%) were placed in a pulmonary artery (PA) or its branches. Sixteen stents (2.7%) were placed in a right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduit. Fourteen fractures (2.4%) were identified 5.0 +/- 3.2 years after implantation: RV-PA conduit 4/16, proximal right PA 4/135, proximal left PA 6/184 (P = 0.003). Identification was primarily made on lateral fluoroscopy. Review of chest radiographs demonstrated fractures in only 71%. In fractured PA stents, five were redilated and three had additional stents placed. Of the four conduit stent fractures: one underwent redilation, one had embolized segments, and one was reinforced with a second stent that also fractured and embolized a segment during redilation at a later catheterization. All fractures were asymptomatic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With the exception of RV-PA conduit stents, fracture is rare and asymptomatic. PA stent fractures occurred in 2.5% and did not embolize, whereas RV-PA conduit stent fractures were significantly more common and may embolize.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Breinholt
authors.forename: Alan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Nugent
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Justino
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mullins
authors.forename: Frank F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Ing
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D011475:Prosthesis Failure; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult