[Percutaneous transvenous mitral valvuloplasty in a pregnant patient. Successful treatment of severe mitral stenosis].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS

A 31-year-old woman presented in the 25th week of pregnancy with ankle and pretibial oedema and increasing dyspnoea, ultimately in class IV (New York Heart Association classification). There were fine rales on auscultation and dullness on palpation over both lung bases. The heart rate was regular at 110/min. The first heart sound was very loud, and there was a mitral opening snap and a loud diastolic murmur maximal, over the cardiac apex.

INVESTIGATIONS

The ECG showed sinus rhythm at a rate of 110/min, left axis deviation, incomplete right bundle branch block and P biatriale, but no other abnormalities. Echocardiography revealed biatrial enlargement and an enlarged right ventricle as well as pulmonary systolic hypertension of 100 mm Hg. Doppler sonography demonstrated severe mitral stenosis with a calculated mitral opening area of 0.9 cm2.

DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND COURSE: The symptoms improved only slightly under conservative drug treatment. The mitral valve changes, as noted sonographically, met the criteria for percutaneous transluminal balloon mitral valvoplasty (PTBMV), which was successfully performed. Afterwards the mitral opening area was 2.6 cm2 and pulmonary artery pressure gradually became normal. She was delivered without complication of a healthy child in the 39th week of pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

PTBLMV is a relatively low-risk treatment in pregnant women with symptomatic mitral stenosis.