Transcatheter closure of complex iatrogenic ventricular septal defect: A case report

Background: Iatrogenic membranous ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are rare complications of cardiothoracic surgery, such as septal myectomy for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM). Transcatheter closure is considered an appealing alternative to surgery, given the increased mortality associated with repeated surgical procedures, but reports are extremely limited. Case summary: We herein report the case of a 63-year-old woman with HOCM who underwent successful percutaneous closure of an iatrogenic VSD after septal myectomy. Two percutaneous techniques are discussed, namely the 'muscular anchoring' and the 'buddy wire delivery', aimed at increasing support and providing stability to the system during percutaneous intervention. Discussion: Transcatheter closure represents an attractive minimally invasive approach for the management of symptomatic iatrogenic VSDs. The new techniques described could help operators to cross tortuous and tunnelled defects and to deploy closure devices in case of complex VSD anatomy.