Congenital
Join Me in Montreal
With the rapid evolution of transcatheter devices and techniques for congenital heart disease, I’m thrilled to invite you to this year’s congenital heart disease (CHD) Track at the 2026 SCAI Scientific Sessions. We’ve curated a dynamic program that begins with foundational imaging strategies and progresses to advanced interventions—including aortic, mitral, and tricuspid valve therapies tailored for congenital patients.
This year’s highlight is our Mullins keynote session which will reunite some of the pioneering physicians who played a critical role in the development of the Mullins Stent, a life-saving stent for children with complex congenital heart disease.
Howaida El-Said, MD, PhD, FSCAI
CHD Program Track Director
Overview
This year's CHD Track will foster collaborative learning through didactic presentations, case-based discussions, and interactive group sessions.
Whether you're a trainee or a seasoned practitioner, you'll leave with actionable strategies for navigating complex cases, enhancing procedural success, and minimizing complications.
Target Audience
This track will appeal to trainees, early-career physicians, and experienced practitioners of congenital interventional cardiology, in addition to structural interventionalists with expertise in valve technology.
Learning Objectives
After attending SCAI Scientific Sessions, the learner will be able to:
- Apply imaging techniques for pre-, intra-, and post-procedural assessment of congenital cardiac lesions.
- Implement VSD closure techniques, including device selection for perimembranous and muscular ventricular septal defects using transcatheter and perventricular approaches.
- Evaluate clinical approaches in various cardiac scenarios, utilizing AI, vascular occlusion devices, electro-surgery, and lymphatic management strategies.
Now Available on Demand
In the SCAI Conference Library, a wealth of trusted, quality online resources from past SCAI meetings can be found, including recorded presentations and downloadable PowerPoints that now, for the first time, include sessions recorded during the Congenital Track at SCAI 2025 Scientific Sessions.
Members can access SCAI Conference Library resources for free by logging in using their SCAI account information and searching by event, clinical practice area, keyword, and speaker to explore available resources.
Non-members can join SCAI to receive this member benefit or purchase past conference recordings a la carte.
This keynote session will reunite some of the pioneering physicians who played a critical role in developing a life-saving stent for children with complex congenital heart disease. The panel will share the story of the pivotal moment in August 1999 when a high-risk case spurred a collaboration with Cordis to design a custom stent capable of reaching a 20 mm diameter.
This session highlights innovative catheter-based strategies for the most fragile patients, focusing on ductal and RVOT stenting, TAPVR palliation, and the revival of umbilical access. Faculty will share evolving standards, technical approaches, and decision-making frameworks for neonatal interventions. Case-based discussions will emphasize precision, safety, and timing in high-risk scenarios
This session explores the rapidly advancing field of in utero cardiac intervention and its ethical, technical, and clinical implications. This dynamic session will examine the decision-making framework behind intervening before birth in cases of complex congenital heart disease, highlighting how prenatal procedures can reshape postnatal management and long-term trajectories. Attendees will gain a comprehensive view of where the field stands today—and where it is headed next.
This session focuses on flow restriction strategies to optimize physiology in congenital heart disease. Topics include pulmonary flow restrictors, managing overcirculation in shunts and PDA stents, Fontan flow modulation, and septal fenestration in complex cases. Faculty will share practical techniques and decision-making frameworks for balancing circulatory dynamics in high-risk patients.