Percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty

Abstract

Background: As the population ages there is an increasing number of elderly patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and numerous co-morbidities. Decision for aortic valve replacement–a gold standard for the treatment of aortic stenosis–might be dii - cult in this group of patients,in whom open heart procedure may be associated with an unacceptably high risk. Less invasive percutaneous methods are being developed as alternative options for improving the quality of life and prolonging survival. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty is a percutaneous catheterbased method for dilation of the aortic valve, which was in the past almost abandoned due to a high incidence of restenosis and the lack of impact on long-term survival. Twenty years at er its introduction in the elderly patients, together with the development of percutaneous aortic valve implantation methods, balloon aortic valvuloplasty is regaining its role. Case report: We report a case of a 88-yearold woman with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and a high perioperative risk, who was considered unsuitable for surgical aortic valve replacement. Owing to worsening of her symptoms, she had balloon aortic valvuloplasty performed. At er the procedure she improved clinically and objectively. Conclusions: Our case points out that there are additional therapeutic options for highrisk patients with severe aortic stenosis. Many share the opinion that balloon aortic valvuloplasty will play an important role as a palliative therapy or a bridge to surgical or percutaneous prosthetic valve implantation