SURGICAL VERSUS BALLOON THERAPY FOR AORTIC COARCTATION IN INFANTS LESS-THAN-OR-EQUAL-TO-3 MONTHS OLD

Objectives. This study compared the efficacy and safety of balloon ang ioplasty with surgical correction of native aortic coarctation in infa nts less than or equal to 3 months old. Background. There is a controv ersy with regard to the role of balloon angioplasty in the treatment o f aortic coarctation, especially in young infants. Methods, Data from 29 infants less than or equal to 3 months old undergoing therapy for a ortic coarctation during the decade ending 1992 were analyzed. Fourtee n infants underwent surgery, and 15 had balloon angioplasty. The sole criterion for allotment to the balloon group was the availability of a n interventional cardiologist at the time of presentation of the infan t. Results. The surgical and balloon groups were comparable (p > 0.1) with regard to age (27 +/- 35 [mean +/- SD] vs. 29 +/- 27 days), weigh t (3.5 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.8 +/- 1.0 kg) and prevalence (7 of 14 vs. 8 of 15 ) and type of associated defects. Operative (1 of 14 vs. 1 of 15) and late (3 of 13 vs. 3 of 14) mortality, immediate gradient relief(36 +/- 25 to 10 +/- 9 mm Hg vs. 41 +/- 14 to 6 +/- 6 mm Hg) and follow up gr adient (27 +/- 27 vs. 24 +/- 19 mm Hg) were similar (p > 0.1). Infants with a gradient >20 mm Hg at follow up (6 of 13 vs. 7 of 14) and need for reintervention (6 of 13 vs. 7 of 14) were also similar (p > 0.1) in both groups. Duration of hospital stay during the first interventio n was higher (p < 0.05) in the surgical (32 +/- 37 days) than the ball oon (7 +/- 6 days) group. Similarly, duration of endotracheal intubati on and mechanical ventilation was longer (p < 0.05) in the surgical (1 2 +/- 16 days) than the balloon (2 +/- 3 days) group. Complications af ter surgical intervention (0.86 events/patient) were higher (p < 0.01) than those seen after balloon angioplasty (0.27 events/patient). Howe ver, the lack of significant differences observed far mortality rates and residual gradients may be due to low statistical power to detect d ifferences (16% to 49%), implying that this may be due to either actua l lack of statistical difference or small sample size. Conclusions. Th e data indicate that the degree of relief from aortic coarctation and the frequency with which reintervention is needed are similar in both groups. However, the morbidity and complication rates are lower with b alloon than with surgical therapy. These data suggest that balloon ang ioplasty may be an acceptable alternative to surgical correction in th e treatment of symptomatic aortic coarctation in infants less than or equal to 3 months old.