Transcatheter Closure of Iatrogenic VSDs after Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery: 2 Case Reports and a Literature Review

Abstract

We report 2 new cases of transcatheter closure of iatrogenic ventricular septal defects after aortic valve replacement surgery, together with our finding, in a literature review, of 9 additional patients who had undergone this procedure from 2004 through 2013. In all 11 cases, transcatheter device closure was indicated for a substantial intracardiac shunt with symptomatic heart failure, and such a device was successfully deployed across the iatrogenic ventricular septal defect, with clinical improvement. Our review suggests that transcatheter closure of iatrogenic ventricular septal defects in patients with previous aortic valve replacement surgery is a safe and effective treatment option, providing anatomic defect closure and relief of symptoms in the short-to-medium term.