T he first atrial septal defects (ASDs) were closed percutaneously in 1974 and reports about their closure published in 1976. In the 1980s the Rashkind occluder was introduced and revived the interest in the topic, focusing for the first time on the patent foramen ovale (PFO). This device is still available in two modified versions. Its initial name, Rashkind Clamshell occluder, has been change...

The case of 61 year-old woman with congenital coronary artery fistula connecting left main coronary artery and the right atrium is presented. The patient was admitted to the Cardiology Department because of the first atrial fibrillation episode. During hospitalisation the congenital heart defect was diagnosed thanks echocardiography and multi-slice computed tomography. Three months later the pe...

The recent generation of AMPLATZER Vascular Plug (AVP; ie, the AVP IV) was used for the occlusion of eight pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) in five patients. A treatment was considered successful when there was a reduction or disappearance of the aneurysmal sac. At a mean follow-up of 20.1 months, no recanalization of PAVMs was observed on multidetector computed tomographic angiogr...

O stium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) have been successfully closed surgically for over 30 years. The concept of percutaneous closure of such defects was proposed in the 1970s. In 1997, the self expanding Amplatzer nitinol prosthesis was first used in animals, with good results. Human studies soon followed and percutaneous closure of atrial septal defects is now standard treatment in th...

Atrial septal defect closure is now routinely performed using a percutaneous approach under echocardiographic guidance. Centrally located, secundum defects are ideal for device closure but there is considerable morphological variation in size and location of the defects. A small proportion of atrial septal defects may have multiple fenestrations and these are often considered unsuitable for dev...

Echocardiography revealed systemic artery to pulmonary venous fistula, a rare vascular anomaly, in a 20-month-old girl, and multislice computed tomography angiography (CTA) was performed to rule out congenital heart disease. Normal bronchial connection and pulmonary vasculature were observed in the lung. The fistula drained through the left inferior pulmonary vein to the left atrium leading to ...

Several substances have been used in an attempt to sclerose biliary ducts associated with persistent biliary-cutaneous fistula (BCF). The AMPLATZER Vascular Plug (AVP; AGA Medical, USA) system is a recently developed endovascular occlusion device, introduced as an alternative to permanent embolic materials (metallic coils or acrylic glue), in the occlusion of large and medium-calibre arteries a...