Heart Disease Library
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Balloon valvuloplasty for aortic valve stenosis
During balloon valvuloplasty, a thin flexible tube called a catheter is inserted through an artery in the groin or arm and threaded into the heart. When the tube reaches the narrowed heart valve, a balloon at the end of the tube is inflated. The balloon presses against the hardened (calcified) tissue and enlarges the valve opening.
Balloon valvuloplasty is often used in teens and young adults who have aortic valve stenosis. It is not appropriate for most older people who have stenosis, although it may be used in older people who cannot have valve replacement surgery. (This may be the case if a valve is severely calcified and the person can't have surgery because of other medical problems.)
It also can often be used as a "bridge" until surgery can be done for a person who is too sick to immediately undergo open-heart surgery. In most older adults, the valve becomes narrowed again (restenosis) within 6 to 12 months after this procedure.1
Balloon valvuloplasty may be used for pregnant women who get aortic valve stenosis symptoms during their pregnancy. After the woman delivers, she may then have aortic valve replacement surgery.
References
Citations
Bonow RO, et al. (2006) ACC/AHA 2006 guidelines for the management of patients with valvular heart disease. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the 1998 Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Valvular Heart Disease). Circulation, 114(5): e84–e231.
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