Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 August 2008
Three patients aged five years, five years four months and 14 years with obstruction of the systemic venous baffle following the Mustard operation were treated with balloon dilation and implantation ofstents. Balloon dilation of the baffle obstruction was performed initially in the first two cases. In the third case, the obstruction was complete and was punctured with atranseptal needle via a 6 French transeptal sheath followed by a balloon dilation. in all three patients, a Palmaz stent (Johnson & Johnson, Summerville, New Jersey, USA) was loaded onto the balloon catheter and delivered into the stenotic area. There was complete relief of obstruction in allcases. The first case developed supraventricular tachycardia at the time ofcatheterization, the morning following implantation of the stent and thentwo weeks after that. There were no complications with catheterization and noshort-term side effects in the other cases. These cases illustrate the use of endovascular stents in the treatment of baffle obstruction.