EMBOLIZATION THERAPY IN PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGY

Transcatheter embolization therapy has assumed an important role in th e management of patients with congenital heart disease. A variety of e mbolization materials, most commonly steel coils, is available to trea t or palliate patients with aortopulmonary collateral vessels or surgi cal shunts, arteriovenous malformations, and anomalous venovenous conn ections (common after surgical intervention for the univentricular hea rt). At many centers, coil occlusion has recently become the treatment of choice for patients with a restrictive patent ductus arteriosus (P DA). This article describes the materials and techniques of embolizati on therapy, as well as the common indications encountered in the pract ice of pediatric interventional cardiology