Balloon Occlusion Angiography in Determining the Size and Shape of Patent Ductus

Nonsurgical techniquies for patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure require precise knowledge of ductus diameter, length and shape. We review the validity of balloon occlusion angiography (BOA) in determining the size and shape of PDA in 17 patients (3 male, 14 female) between April 1992 and July 1994. The patients' age ranged 9 months to 9 years (mean 3.54±2.22) and weight 6.1 to 20 kg (mean 12.3±4.04). The aorta was entered via transvenous route through PDA. The aortography was performed by using direct and balloon occlusion techniques at 90° left lateral position and two techniques were compared. PDA anatomy was well visualized in all cases with BOA. Direct injection method did not demonstrate PDA anatomy in detail in 6 (%35.3) patients. In all patients, PDA internal diameter measured by BOA method was greater than the intermal diameter measured by direct aortography method. We concluded that, BOA method has some advantages over direct aortography for identification of the size and shape of PDA.