[Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty with a balloon catheter in native aortic coarctation: long-term experience]

Between August 1988 and October 1993, 19 patients with native aortic coarctation were subjected to transluminal percutaneous balloon angioplasty, 12 of which were men (63.1%) and 7 were women (36.9%), with an average age of 22 +/- 7.7 years (r- 16 to 52), all of whom suffered from arterial hypertension at the time of the procedure, and a systolic pressure of 190 +/- 32.2 mmHg (r- 160 to 240). The gradient of the systolic pressure (GPS) was 77 +/- 0.9 mm, the average diameter of the balloon catheters that were used was 18.3 +/- 1.7 mm (r- 15 to 20). For all the patients, the procedure was carried out under local anesthesia and the usual Seldinger technique. After carrying out the procedure, the GPS as well as the blood pressure dropped to 5.0 +/- 4.1 mmHg and 130 +/- 20.6 mmHg, respectively. In similar manner, the enlargement of the ring displayed an increase of 4.2 +/- 0.9 to 14.1 +/- 1.6 mm. There were no complications in any of the procedures. During the follow-up, 11 patients were catheterized again in a period of 24.7 +/- 12.6 months (r- 10 to 48) with GPS of 5 +/- 2 mmHg. Besides, an increase of 15.4 +/- 1.2 mm in the ring's diameter was observed. In these patients, there was no evidence of the aneurysms at the dilatation site. Of the rest of the patients under control, 17 of whom have been able to maintain normal blood pressure without medical treatment, and only two required low dosages of antihypertensive treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Mitral insufficiency after mitral balloon-catheter valvuloplasty: its incidence, predictive factors and prognosis]

From October 1991 to October 1993, a total of 205 patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (178 female, 27 male, mean age 38 years, range 17-72) underwent percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC), 138 with the Inoue balloon and 67 with double balloon-catheter techniques. Mitral regurgitation (MR) was detected in 10% of the cases prior to the procedure, and 37% after PTMC (p < 0.05), grade I in 45 patients (22%), grade II in 24 (12%), grade III in 4 (2%), and grade IV in 3 (1.5%) cases (p = 0.003, 0.002, N.S. and N.S., respectively. In 40% of the total group (83/205) there was no new or worsening MR; in 26.8% of the cases (55/205) new MR appeared (p = 0.004); in 23% (47/205) MR increased one grade (p = 0.002) and in 9.7% (20/205) two or more grades. The comparative incidence of MR was 40.5% (56/138) with the Inoue balloon, and 16.4% (11/67) with the double balloon technique (p = 0.03); the severity of MR was grade I in 27% vs 9% (p = 0.001), grade II in 9.4% vs 6% (p = 0.05), grade III in 2.1% vs 1.5% (N.S.), and grade IV in 2.1% vs 0% (N.S.). Only the presence of commissural calcification and echo-score > 8 points were found as independent predictors of severe MR. In conclusion, mild and moderate MR occur frequently after PTMC, with significantly greater incidence using the Inoue technique. Severe MR following PTMC is much less frequent, and the comparative incidence is somewhat greater with the Inoue balloon, though the difference is not significant.

[The treatment of severe mitral stenosis by percutaneous transvenous commissurotomy]

In 110 adult selected patients, 87.1% female (average age 38.2 years, range 16-72) with symptomatic, severe mitral stenosis eligible for surgery, we performed balloon catheter transvenous mitral commissurotomy (BCTMC) as alternative treatment. Inoue's catheter was utilized in 80 cases (72.7%), and the double-balloon technique in 30 (27.3%). The procedure was successful in 102 patients (92.7%, 2nd attempt in 5 cases), with optimal results in 96 (87.3%); and it was unsuccessful in one patient for a technical difficulty. Complications occurred in 3 cases due to perforation of a cardiac chamber (2.7%); and 4/106 patients developed severe mitral insufficiency (3.8%). The mitral valve area increased from 1.09 +/- 0.27 to 2.6 +/- 0.87 cm2 (p < 0.0001); the diastolic mitral gradient decreased from 18.9 +/- 5.9 to 3.6 +/- 2.8 mmHg (p < 0.0001); similar reduction was obtained in mean left atrial pressure from 26.2 +/- 6.5 to 12.5 +/- 4.2 mmHg (p < 0.0001), and mean pulmonary artery pressure from 38 +/- 17 to 26.2 +/- 10.4 mmHg (p < 0.005). New mitral insufficiency appeared or increased in more of one grade in 12/106 patients (11.3%), and it was not detectable in 86/106 patients. During long-term follow-up (average 10.4 months, range 5 to 24), all patients (100 cases) improved their functional class (83.1% asymptomatic), and maintained their 2D echocardiographic mitral valve area. In conclusion BCMTC is the treatment of choice for selected cases of acquired symptomatic mitral stenosis, with immediate and long term results comparable to surgical commissurotomy.

[Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy with a Medi-tech balloon catheter: the initial experience and midterm follow-up]

From Jan-21-91 to Jan-8-92 we performed percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTCM) with a Medi-tech balloon catheter (MBC) in 41 patients bearing mitral stenosis simple o predominant. We utilized an anterograde transseptal approach in order to access the mitral valve, the procedure failed in 5 patients, in 30 of them we used double MBC and single MBC were utilized in 6 patients. Both left ventriculogram and hemodynamic parameters were taken before and after PTCM. Posterior to PTCM an important decrease appeared in the mitral transvalvular gradient from 20.6 +/- 2.7 to 2.4 +/- 1.7 mmHg (p < 0.0001) and an average pressure of pulmonary artery of 46.2 +/- 9.8 to 23.9 +/- 6 mmHg (p < 0.0001), and also the pulmonary arterial resistance from 1178.1 to 557.1 dinas/cm-5/seg. There was an important concomitant increase in mitral valvular area from 0.84 +/- 0.11 to 2.38 +/- 0.08 cm2 (p < 0.0001) and in cardiac rate from 2.7 +/- 0.7 to 2.9 +/- 0.52 L/min (p < 0.001).

COMPLICATIONS

Two female patients developed cardiac tamponade, one of them the procedure was successful, and for the other it was decided to submit her to valvular replacement. Mitral insufficiency was present in three patients; GI/IV in two of them and GII/IV angiographic in one. Another patient presented cerebral thromboembolism with complete recovery within 15 days. Short left to right shunt was detected only in 8 patients being 1.2/1 in 6 of them, 1.3/1 in one and 1.4/1 in other patient. Thirty three uncomplicated were dismissed within a maximum of 48 hours after procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)