Methods Patients. From September 1996 to June 1997, 24 patients (18female,6male)underwentattemptedtranscatheterclosure of a PDA as an alternative to standard surgical ligation or the use of other devices. Informed consent was obtained from all patients. All patients had clinical and echocardiographic findings of a PDA. The patients median age was 3.8 years (range 0.4 to 48), and their weights ranged from 6 to 70 kg (median 15.5kg).Allpatientswereasymptomatic,exceptforPatient22, who had failure to thrive and pulmonary artery hypertension (mean 46 mm Hg) from the large PDA (5.7 mm). All patients