The Heart Institute for Children offers a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization procedures. This includes diagnostic catheterization and angiography. Therapeutic interventions are also performed in the cath lab which often avoids the need for surgery. Such interventions include:

• Coil occlusion of collateral vessels including Patent Ductus Arteriosus

• Balloon valvuloplasty and angioplasty of valvar stenosis, peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis, and coarctation of the aorta

• Stent implantation for peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis and coarctation of the aorta

• Device closure of patent foramen ovale, atrial septal defect and some forms of ventricular septal defect

• Endomyocardial biopsy

• Transhepatic access for diagnostic and interventional catheterizations

• Transeptal approach (including needle and blade procedure) for left heart procedures

• Radiofrequency perforation of atretic (sealed) heart valves in newborn infants

• Radiofrequency perforation of atrial septum in complex congenital heart disease
  as well as structurally normal hearts for electrophysiology procedure

THIC has been given approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use a new catheter delivered device for closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus (the Nitocclud Device) and Atrial Septal Defect (the HELEX Septal Occluder). We are one of very few Pediatric Cardiology centers in the country approved for use of this device.