[Transluminal balloon valvuloplasty in the treatment of congenital critical aortic valve stenosis in infants in the 1st year of life].

Balloon valvuloplasty was performed in 14 patients with congenital valvular aortic stenosis. Their age was 28 days to 12 months. All the patients had severe heart failure. Balloon valvuloplasty was successfully conducted in 8 patients. The systolic pressure gradient between the aorta and the left ventricle decreased, on the average, from 81.2 +/- 21.4 to 31.3 +/- 8.2 mm Hg, i.e. by 61.5%. Only 2 patients developed moderate aortic insufficiency after balloon valvuloplasty. The left ventricle could not be catheterised in 6 infants: in 4 patients due to critical valvular stenosis, in 2 due to a. lusoria. One of them died when the guide was attempted to be introduced through the narrowed aortic valve, which resulted in aortic sinus perforation. Long-term results were studied in 4 patients 3 to 24 months after surgery. Their clinical condition improved. The systolic pressure gradient between the left ventricle and the aorta was in agreement with the values obtained just after transluminal balloon valvuloplasty. Transluminal balloon valvuloplasty can be successfully performed in 1-year-old infants with congenital critical aortic valvular stenosis and yields good immediate results. A further accumulation of clinical findings, development of procedures for transluminal balloon valvuloplasty and study of long-term results will allow indications for this tool to be worked out in this group of patients.