Percutaneous mitral commissurotomy: technique, results, and selection of patients.

Fifteen years of experience with percutaneous valve dilatation for mitral stenosis have shown the following: it is an effective treatment in a wide range of patients; its risk is low when it is performed by experienced teams, and more than 10 years follow-up demonstrates excellent durability of the procedure; the prediction of the immediate and long-term results is multifactorial and based on clinical and anatomic variables which should be taken into account when selecting the candidates for the procedure. Today balloon commissurotomy is a substitute for surgical commissurotomy and a complement to valve replacement.

Temporal trends in percutaneous mitral commissurotomy over a 15-year period.

Aims: To evaluate temporal trends in percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC) in terms of changes in patient characteristics and their impact on immediate results.

Methods And Results: From 1986 to 2001, PMC was indicated in 2773 consecutive patients. Patient characteristics and results were compared each year and linear trends were analysed.

[Valvular stenosis: treatment by percutaneous dilatation].

For more than a decade, cardiologists have now used procedures for treating valvular stenosis. The most widely used, percutaneous mitral commissurotomy, is performed through the transseptal pathway, usually with the Inoue balloon. Subsequently, the valvular surface doubles and the incidence of serious complications is low in experienced teams.

Late results of percutaneous mitral commissurotomy for calcific mitral stenosis.

The aim of this study was to assess late results of percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC) in calcific mitral stenosis and to identify predictors to improve patient selection. We analyzed 422 patients who underwent PMC for calcific mitral stenosis. The extent of calcium was graded from 1 to 4 by fluoroscopy: 227 patients (53%) were graded 1, 125 (30%) graded 2, 55 graded 3 (13%), and 15 graded 4 (4%).

Percutaneous mitral commissurotomy for restenosis after surgical commissurotomy: late efficacy and implications for patient selection.

Objectives: The results of percutaneous mitral commissurotomy were assessed in patients with restenosis after surgical commissurotomy.

Background: Balloon dilation is feasible in patients with restenosis after surgical commissurotomy, but little is known about its late efficacy.

Methods: We studied 232 patients who had undergone percutaneous mitral commissurotomy a mean of 16 +/- 8 years after surgical commissurotomy.