Repair of interatrial septal defect with an Amplatzer device. Experience with 3 cases

We performed transcatheter closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD) using an Amplatzer device in three patients, 2 women and 1 male child, aged 12, 54, and 4 years, respectively, coursing with ostium secundum ASD. Two with left to right shunt and the third with bidirectional shunt. The transesophageal echocardiogram revealed ASD with diameters of 13, 15, and 10 mm, the diameter with expanded catheter balloon was of 30, 26, and 17 mm, respectively. The superior border of the atrial septum was bigger than 5 mm in all three patients, whereas the inferior border could not be found through echocardiography in the patients aged 12 and 4 years. Amplatzer devices of 30, 26, and 17 mm were implanted, the inferior border of the first two could be supported on the aortic wall and the superior border on the septum. We observed a 100% occlusion in these two cases through ecocolor-Doppler. In the third patient, an inferior border of 16 mm and a superior border of 8 mm were determined, achieving and immediate and fast installation of the device with 100% occlusion. All three patients were in stable conditions, asymptomatic and without shunt at their one-month follow-up as revealed by a trans-thoracic echocardiography. It is concluded that the Amplatzer device is technically easy to install and yields adequate results even in patients with ample ASD and without inferior border of the inter-atrial septum.