Comparison of immediate and long-term results of mitral balloon valvotomy with the double-balloon versus Inoue techniques.

There is controversy as to whether the double-balloon or Inoue technique of percutaneous mitral balloon valvotomy (PMBV) provides superior immediate and long-term results. This study compares the immediate procedural and long-term outcomes of patients undergoing PMBV using the double-balloon versus the Inoue techniques. Seven hundred thirty-four consecutive patients who underwent PMBV using the double-balloon (n = 621) or Inoue technique (n = 113) were studied. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline clinical and morphologic characteristics between the double-balloon and Inoue patients. The double-balloon technique resulted in superior immediate outcome, as reflected in a larger post-PMBV mitral valve area (1.9 +/- 0.7 vs 1.7 +/- 0.6 cm2; p = 0.005) and a lower incidence of 3+ mitral regurgitation after PMBV (5.4% vs 10.6%; p = 0.05). This superior immediate outcome of the double-balloon technique was observed only in the group of patients with echocardiographic score < or = 8 (post-PMBV mitral valve areas 2.1 +/- 0.7 vs 1.8 +/- 0.6; p = 0.004). Despite the difference in immediate outcome, there were no significant differences in event-free survival at long-term follow-up between the 2 techniques. Our study demonstrates that compared with the Inoue technique, the double-balloon technique results in a larger mitral valve area and less degree of severe mitral regurgitation after PMBV. Despite the difference in immediate outcome between both techniques, there were no significant differences in event-free survival at long-term follow-up.