Atretic aortic coarctation - transradial approach. Case series and review of the literature.

Stenting of aortic coarctation became the method of choice. In severe aortic coarctation, when retrograde crossing of the coarctation is impossible, a secondary approach with antegrade arterial crossing proved to be the solution in many cases. Here we report two cases of severe aortic coarctation in males aged 12 and 14, respectively, in which we used a secondary transradial approach (right and left) followed by guidewire snaring. For the first case, a right radial-right femoral arterio-arterial circuit was created, which offered a stable position during stent implantation. In both cases, we predilated the lesion and then implanted a 45 mm Cheatham-platinum (CP) covered stent. The final result was very good in both patients; only the first one required post-dilatation of both ends of the stent. Asymptomatic post-procedural absence of left radial pulse was noticed in the second case. In conclusion, even in the case of children, secondary transradial approach is suitable for antegrade crossing of the coarctation in extremely severe cases and possibly in stabilization of the circuit for stent implantation.