Stenting of Stenotic Modified Blalock-Taussing Shunt in Adult with Pulmonary Atresia

Abstract

In patients with complex and cyanotic congenital heart disease it is not always possible to perform complete reparative surgery. These patients are candidates for palliative systemic to pulmonary shunts to increase pulmonary blood flow and oxygen saturation and to alleviate cyanosis, secondary erythrocytosis, hyperviscosity syndrome and hemostatic abnormalities . These shunts could be arterial with a surgically created connection (shunt) between aorta or its branches and the pulmonary artery (PA )or venous connecting superior vena cava(SVC) to PA(Glenn shunt) or both SVC and inferior vena cava to PA (Fontan procedure).However palliative shunts have their own pitfalls and could become thrombosed and obstructed leading to worsening patient condition. On the other hand repeat surgery for another shunt is extremely high risk in most of these patients. Here we present a young male with occluded palliative shunt successfully treated with catheter intervention.