Early and mid-term results with the growth stent - A possible concept for transcatheter treatment of aortic coarctation from infancy to adulthood by stent implantation?

Aims: Evaluation of the Growth Stent - a stent consisting of two stent halves connected by reabsorbable sutures - for the treatment of aortic coarctation in infants. Methods and Results: Surveillance study of 13 Growth Stents implanted in 12 patients aged 1-15 months (median 5 months). Body weight ranged from 3.4-12.8 kg (median 5.4 kg). Eight patients suffered from aortic (re-)coarctation, four of them from stenosis of the aortic anastomosis after a Norwood I procedure. The follow-up period was 24 months (11-51 months). Pressure gradients immediately after stent implantation decreased from 30 mm Hg (range 20-50 mm Hg) to 8 mm Hg (range 0-15 mm Hg). Five patients had one (3 pts) or two (2 pts) balloon dilations 3-28 months (median 12 months) after Growth Stent implantation. The median pressure gradient decreased from 25 mm Hg (range 15-30 mm Hg) to 15 mm Hg (range 5-25 mm Hg). Six patients received a large stent after 19-34 months. Median body weight was 11.8 kg (9.4-15 kg). Conclusions: The Growth Stent is suitable for the acute treatment of aortic coarctation in infants and can be overstented later on - if necessary - with a larger stent without causing restriction.