Balloon angioplasty of critical coarctation in a 970-gram premature infant

We describe a 970-gram infant born prematurely at 28 weeks gestation. On th e third day of life, she presented in heart failure with Shone's syndrome a nd severe coarctation of the aorta. Despite initiation of intravenous prost aglandins, she developed progressive severe biventricular dysfunction and a cidosis. Balloon angioplasty of the coarctation was successfully performed on the fifth day of life, with a dramatic improvement in ventricular functi on. At seven weeks of age, after improvement of ventricular function, she u nderwent surgical resection of the coarctation and arch advancement. At six months of age she is thriving and developing normally.