Customized covered stent graft for percutaneous closure of Fontan baffle leak

Abstract

We report the innovation of both a partly-covered and completely-covered, variable-diameter, balloon-expandable stent that was custom-designed by NuMed, Inc for percutaneous closure of a baffle leak after total caval pulmonary connection (TCPC). A 50-year-old patient, born with tricuspid atresia, who had undergone TCPC, developed severe persistent cyanosis due to a right-to-left shunt through a TCPC baffle leak. Re-operation was deemed too high risk. Therefore, considering his complex anatomy, a custom-made, partly-covered, tapered, balloon-expandable stent was designed and successfully deployed. Months later, the shunt recurred at the junction of the covered to uncovered stent cells; subsequently, a second fully-covered, custom-made, tapered stent was implanted with an excellent outcome. The use of covered or partly-covered customized variable-diameter stents for closure of baffle leak after TCPC is feasible and resulted in marked clinical improvement. Customized balloon-expandable stents may be superior to traditional cylindrical stents because of better anchoring and apposition.