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Preliminary experience in the use of CERA occluders for closure of different intracardiac and extracardiac shunts.

BACKGROUND
Transcatheter closure has become the method of choice for treatment of many heart defects. Recently, Lifetech Scientific introduced the Cera occluder (CO), a self-expandable nitinol wire-mesh device covered with ceramic coating. We present our preliminary experience in transcatheter closure of atrial septal defect (ASD), patent foramen ovale (PFO), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), and post-infarction ventricular septal defect (PIVSD) with the CO.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 25 patients (17 female) ages 1.1-82 years (median age, 34.0 years) with either ASD (n = 7), PFO (n = 11), PDA (n = 6), or PIVSD (n = 1). All patients were treated percutaneously with appropriate CO devices, without any preliminary patient selection. The implantation technique applied in these procedures was the same as previously described for Amplatzer occluders.


RESULTS
All procedures were performed successfully. Complete shunt closure was achieved in all but 1 patient with PIVSD. No complications were observed during procedures or during follow-up of 0.5-4 months.


CONCLUSIONS
Our preliminary experience in the clinical application of COs for transcatheter closure of ASD, PFO, PDA, and PIVSD has confirmed their utility, feasibility, and safety, at least in the short-term follow-up.