A recent case series from Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego highlights a novel approach to reintervention in neonates with previously placed PDA stents—an area traditionally fraught with anatomical and technical challenges.
Published in the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (JSCAI), the article—“Innovative Use of Coronary GuideLiner to Facilitate Patent Ductus Arteriosus Stent Reintervention”—describes two successful procedures using a coronary GuideLiner catheter (Teleflex) to navigate through previously deployed stents with fractured or angulated anatomy.
In both cases, operators employed balloon-assisted tracking and precision wire control to access jailed pulmonary branches via stent side struts. The technique allowed for successful re-stenting while maintaining branch patency and promoting further vessel growth. Findings reflect the multidisciplinary work of Howaida El-Said, MD, director of the cardiac catheterization lab and Justin Ryan, PhD, director of the 3D Innovations Lab—all with Rady Children’s and faculty at UC San Diego School of Medicine.
This report demonstrates that adapting adult interventional tools—like the GuideLiner—can expand the feasibility and safety of complex ductal interventions in fragile pediatric patients.