First-in-Central-Europe implantation of the self-expandable Pulsta valve in the pulmonary position: Short-term results.

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot after complete correction constantly presents potential challenges in pediatric cardiology. In particular, patients with pulmonary regurgitation require ongoing monitoring, reoperation, or catheter intervention during adolescence. The increasing demand for a wide spectrum of sizes and shapes of implantable prostheses led to the development of the self-expanding Pulsta® valve.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated postprocedural outcomes, focusing on pulmonary valve functionality and right ventricular (RV) parameters, using advanced echocardiographic techniques.

Methods: We reviewed five pediatric patients before and over a 6-month follow-up period after the procedure using three-dimensional echocardiography acquisition (3D transthoracic echocardiography), RV global longitudinal strain, and tissue Doppler imaging.

Results: All procedures were successful, with good early effects and no complications. Postprocedural assessment of RV diameter and volume showed a statistically significant reduction, and this trend continued during the follow-up period. However, in this cohort, RV ejection fraction, which was initially within the normal range, showed a slight reduction immediately after the procedure, followed by a gradual return to normal values during the follow-up. Similar statistically significant results in RV strain values were observed.

Conclusions: In the study group, the Pulsta® valve provided good early-term effectiveness and feasibility without adverse events, and the overall mortality rate was 0%, highlighting the potential benefits of this intervention as measured by echocardiographic parameters.