Two Cases of Transcatheter Closure of Central Aortopulmonary Shunts: One with an Amplatzer Duct Occluder II and One with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug I.

When total correction is not possible in infants who have a cyanotic congenital heart disease, creation of a palliative aortopulmonary shunt is essential. A central aortopulmonary shunt is preferable, because of its technical and hemodynamic advantages. Overcirculation, thrombosis, and stenosis of the shunt are the main postoperative sequelae that necessitate urgent reintervention. Percutaneous transcatheter closure of aortopulmonary shunts can eliminate the need for reoperation and substantially decrease postoperative morbidity and mortality rates. We report our successful transcatheter closures of central aortopulmonary shunts in a 3-month-old infant and a 15-year-old girl, with use of an Amplatzer Duct Occluder II and an Amplatzer Vascular Plug I, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the transcatheter closure of central aortopulmonary shunts with these 2 devices.