During last twenty years dramatic changes took place in methods of paediatric catheterisation. Improvement of non-invasive diagnostic techniques resulted in decrease of indications of diagnostic cardiac catheterisation. On the other hand, cardiac catheterisation nowadays is frequently used as a method for treatment. During the period since 1976 till 2002 254 pediatric therapeutic cardiac catheterisation were performed at Vilnius University Heart Surgery Clinic: 142 Rashkind septostomies, 74 pulmonary artery balloon angioplasties (BA), 5 BA of recoarctation of aorta, 8 BA of pulmonary artery branch stenosis, 2 BA of conduits after Ross repair, 2 BA of conduits after Fontan procedure, 2 BA of Waterston-Cooley anastomoses and 2 BA for congenital aortic valve stenosis. During the period since 1999 till 2002 27 patients underwent successful transcatheter closure of PA, since 2002.10 coil occlusions of aortopulmonary collaterals, arteriovenous fistulae, venous-venous connections were performed. In 2001 2 transcatheter closures of ASD were performed. While comparing our data and data presented by European Registry of Cardiology, one can see that in 2000 the amount of ASD closures and PA valvuloplasties per million population was after than the amount of those procedures per million of population in Portugal, Greece, Austria, Croatia.
Conclusion: The greater part of therapeutic paediatric catheterisation procedures is significantly cheaper than surgical repair. Complications are seldom.