Percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty in children and young adults with rheumatic mitral stenosis.

Twenty-eight patients with mitral stenosis, 17 females and 11 males, underwent percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (BMV). The age range was 10 to 30 (mean 17.8 +/- 6.7) years and all were symptomatic (New York Heart Association [NYHA] class III, 12 patients; class IV, 16 patients). BMV was done with a single balloon in 10 patients and double balloon in 16 patients. Following BMV, there was a significant reduction in transmitral end-diastolic pressure gradient from 23.1 +/- 5.8 to 7.6 +/- 4.2 mm Hg (p less than 0.001) and a significant increase in mitral valve area from 1.06 +/- 0.29 to 2.64 +/- 1.35 cm2 (p less than 0.001), along with an increase in cardiac index from 3.40 +/- 1.18 to 4.26 +/- 1.46 L/min/m2 (p less than 0.01). Improvement in symptomatic status by at least one NYHA class was seen in all patients. Mild mitral regurgitation developed in four and moderate mitral regurgitation developed in one patient. Angiographic evidence of atrial septal defect was present in one patient. Follow-up at 8 to 12 weeks in 12 patients has shown sustained hemodynamic improvement. These short-term results indicate that BMV is an effective nonsurgical procedure for the management of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis.