Catheter and echocardiographic-focused management of primary pulmonary vein stenosis in premature infants: a single center 5-year experience

Background/Objectives We describe the outcomes of pulmonary vein stenosis treatment in a cohort of premature infants using an assertive percutaneous management strategy with echocardiography as the primary method of surveillance. Subjects/Methods This retrospective study included fifteen premature infants (median 24 weeks gestational age) that underwent pulmonary vein intervention from 2018-2023. The primary outcome was patient survival rate, and the secondary outcome was pulmonary vein preservation rate. Results The estimated patient survival was 100% and 89% at 1 and 2 years after diagnosis. The pulmonary vein preservation rate was 88% and 83% at 1 and 2 years. Patients received a median of 4 echocardiograms between each cardiac catheterization and an average of 1 CT scan for every 1.5 years of observation. Conclusions Pulmonary vein stenosis can be successfully managed with a percutaneous approach to pulmonary vein rehabilitation using echocardiography for surveillance, even in extremely premature infants.