[Percutaneous transluminal valvuloplasty in congenital pulmonary stenosis in adults. Apropos of 34 cases].

Percutaneous pulmonary valvulotomy is the treatment of choice for isolated congenital pulmonary valvular stenosis in childhood. However, experience of this procedure in the adult is much more limited. Between January 1984 and December 1994, 34 patients with severe or moderate pulmonary valvular stenosis underwent percutaneous transluminal valvuloplasty. The age of the patients ranged from 20 to 47 years (mean 22 +/- 4 years). Cardiac catheterisation was performed using the femoral vein in 27 cases and the internal jugular vein in 7 cases. Success was obtained in 28 patients (81% of cases). Pulmonary artery-right ventricular pressure gradient decreased from 113 +/- 35 to 32 +/- 13 mmHg (p < 0.001) after valvuloplasty with one or two balloon catheters. The tolerance of transluminal valvuloplasty was generally good. The poor results were explained by cases of dysplasic valves or of infundibular reactions. There was one death which occurred 24 hours after the procedure. Clinical and echocardiographic follow-up was obtained in 20 patients, 3 to 36 months after valvuloplasty (average: 23 +/- 13 months). No cases of restenosis were observed. Percutaneous transluminal pulmonary valvuloplasty in the adult is feasible and gives good results which are maintained at medium-term; it has become the treatment of choice of valvular pulmonary stenosis and gives good results which are maintained at medium-term, thereby avoiding surgical valvulotomy.