In cardiac catheterization, the cardiologist places thin tubes in the arteries and veins in the leg and advances them through the various chambers of the heart. Through these tubes dye can be injected and the inner workings of the heart can be defined as moving images, or angiograms. The use of cardiac catheterization has helped many patients avoid open heart surgery. This kind of treatment is called interventional cardiology, in which cardiologists use catheters (tiny tubes), coils or other devices to repair the heart. Complex procedures that used to require open heart surgery can be performed at very low risk. This technique is frequently performed as an outpatient procedure. It has helped reduce risk to the patient, the need for anesthesia, the trauma to the child and family, and the child's hospital stay. Learn more about the Cardiac Catheterization/Angiography Clinic. Our team is experienced in the full range of interventional catheterization techniques, such as: Endomyocardial Biopsy In this procedure, the doctor take a tiny sample of the heart - about the size of a grain of rice - using a small tube called a catheter. The team then examines this sample, also called a biopsy, to determine if there is inflammation of the heart. Inflammation of the heart sometimes indicates there is an infection or possible rejection of a transplanted heart. This procedure also helps narrow diagnoses to specific problems so the team can develop a targeted treatment for the child. Balloon Angioplasty Angioplasty is a non-surgical procedure in which a catheter (a very small tube) tipped with a tiny uninflated balloon is passed through the body's circulatory system to a severely narrowed section of a blood vessel. When the balloon is inflated it pushes against the vessel wall, thus opening it up and allowing blood to flow through. Balloon Valvuloplasty Our team performs balloon valvuloplasty on children and in many cases have replaced surgery for many repairs of aortic and pulmonary stenosis. It's a similar procedure as the balloon angioplasty, but it's used to treat valve disease rather than blocked arteries or blood vessels. Balloon Septostomy For infants with atrial septal defects, atrial balloon septostomy is an effective temporary measure to achieve better mixing of blood and oxygen in the body. This is a special procedure used during heart catheterization to improve the body's oxygen supply in babies with transposition of the great arteries (meaning, the positions of the pulmonary artery and the aorta are reversed). It enlarges the atrial opening and helps the baby by reducing the cyanosis (blueness). Stenting A stent is a small, latticed, metal scaffold that is mounted on a balloon catheter, which is used to deliver the stent. Once at the narrowed area of the artery, the balloon is inflated, expanding the stent. The stent will be expanded until it fits the inner wall of the vessel conforming to the contours as needed. The balloon catheter is then deflated and removed from the artery and the stent stays in place permanently. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is located in Palo Alto, adjacent to Stanford University Hospital, approximately 20 miles north of San Jose, CA and 40 miles south of San Francisco.
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Copyright 2008 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. All rights reserved. |
|||