Hybrid Balloon Valvuloplasty for the Treatment of Severe Congenital Aortic Valve Stenosis in Infants.

BACKGROUND

Surgical or percutaneous interventional treatment of severe congenital aortic valve stenosis (CAS) in early infancy remains challenging. This single-center, retrospective study analyzed midterm outcomes of a hybrid balloon valvuloplasty procedure through the ascending aorta by way of median sternotomy, including cases with improved technique.

METHODS

Included were 45 consecutive infants (aged <90 days) with CAS and selected for biventricular repair who underwent hybrid balloon valvuloplasty in a hybrid or ordinary operating room from October 2010 to March 2016. Patients were assessed at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter.

RESULTS

Hybrid balloon valvuloplasty was successful in all patients, with the last 8 treated in an ordinary operating room under only echocardiography guidance with a new sheath. Thirty-two patients were successfully rescued from low heart rate or left ventricular systolic dysfunction, or both, by cardiac massage under direct visualization; none required cardiopulmonary bypass. The degree of new aortic insufficiency was mild in 7 patients and changed from mild to moderate in 1 patient. Aortic valve pressure gradient decreased from 70.6 ± 17.5 mm Hg preoperatively to 15.2 ± 4.2 mm Hg immediately postoperatively (p < 0.001). Fluoroscopy time was 4.8 ± 2.3 minutes. At a median of 32.1 months (range, 1 to 68 months) follow-up, all patients were alive and healthy. Aortic valve pressure gradient remained low (19.1 ± 5.2 mm Hg). Left ventricular ejection fraction increased from 0.515 ± 0.134 (range, 0.21 to 0.70) preoperatively to 0.633 ± 0.035 (range, 0.58 to 0.75; p < 0.001). No aortic insufficiency developed, and no patient required reintervention.

CONCLUSIONS

For infants with severe CAS, hybrid balloon valvuloplasty through the ascending aorta by way of a median sternotomy appears efficacious and safe up to midterm follow-up.