The Structural Heart Clinic is part of Boston Children’s Division of Cardiac Catheterization, which is the largest and most advanced pediatric cardiac catheterization lab in the U.S. Our team is committed to providing patients who have structural congenital heart defects (CHDs) with a positive and supportive experience, ensuring that they receive the highest level of care throughout their treatment journey.
Our clinic works with a group of experts in interventional cardiology and cardiac imaging, as well as with a child’s primary cardiologist, to identify if a cardiac catheterization procedure is an appropriate course of treatment. If so, we treat the condition with minimally invasive catheterization tools, technologies, and techniques — potentially reducing the number of surgeries a child may need later in life or allowing them to avoid surgery altogether.
A child will continue to have follow-up care by our clinic after their procedure; we will monitor the function of their newly implanted valve throughout their life.
What is a structural heart defect?
Structural heart defects are abnormalities in the heart’s valves, arteries, and walls. These CHDs can affect how blood flows through the heart, lungs, and body. While some defects can be treated in infancy or early childhood, others can require a child to have multiple surgeries and other procedures into adulthood as their heart anatomy develops and changes.
Structural heart conditions treated by cardiac catheterization
Through small, specialized equipment inserted through blood vessels, catheterization procedures can safely close holes in the heart, repair abnormal blood vessels, and replace heart valves.
Conditions that our clinic treats with cardiac catheterization include:
- Valve stenosis or regurgitation associated with tetralogy of Fallot or pulmonary valve stenosis can be treated with a transcatheter valve replacement procedure. We are often able to place a new valve within the existing one, avoiding the need for surgery.
- Patent ductus arteriosus and atrial septal defects (ASDs) can be treated with closure devices that are placed by a catheter.
- A narrowed aorta caused by the condition coarctation of the aorta can be widened through a transcatheter procedure.
What happens if your child is a candidate for catheterization?
If your child is a candidate for treatment through the Structural Heart Clinic, our team will thoroughly review their diagnostic imaging and medical history. We will then collaborate closely with your cardiologist and family to develop the most effective treatment plan. Prior to your child’s scheduled procedure, our clinic will discuss with your family your child’s heart anatomy and explore treatment options available in our newly designed, state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization lab, located on Boston Children’s main campus.
Your primary cardiologist can also reach out to our clinic to request a consult. Referring providers can contact StructuralHeartProgram@childrens.harvard.edu for more information.
