Acute and long-term follow-up results of percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty: a single-center study

Objective: Percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMBV) is the method of choice in treatment of patients with hemodynamically significant mitral stenosis. We aimed to analyze acute and long-term clinical and echocardiographic consequences of PMBV. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study; 311 patients who underwent PMBV in our Cardiology Clinic at Turkiye Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital between January 2000 and March 2004 were evaluated for acute procedural outcomes and primary endpoints (death, rePMBV, mitral valve replacement (MVR)). All 311 patients were contacted by phone call or letter at least five years after the procedure. Of the 311 patients, 87 who defined NYHA class II-IV symptoms were invited for a control visit and detailed echocardiographic evaluation. Sixty-three patients out of 87 who completed follow-up were enrolled for long-term consequences. Those 63 patients were subclassified into two groups as those without any negative event (n=26) (Group 1) and those with mitral valve area (MVA) (< 1.5 cm(2)), rePMBV or referral to MVR (n=37) (Group 2) on follow up to 6.4 +/- 1.6 years. Results: In the analysis of 311 patients, acute post procedural success, which was defined as mitral valve area (MVA) cm2 without severe mitral regurgitation, was 94% and was only associated with preprocedural MVA (p=0.008). In the logistic regression analysis, preprocedural MVA was the only independent parameter, associated with acute procedural success (Exp beta=0.004, 95%CI 0.0001-0.234, p=0.008). In the long-term follow up of 63 patients, the patients with uneventful course (Group 1) had significantly higher MVA (p < 0.001), lower mean (p=0.001) and peak (p < 0.001) transmitral gradients immediately after the procedure when we compared to the patients in Group 2. It was also noticed that patients with at least 60% improvement in MVA experienced composite end point much less frequently compared to those with less than 60% improvement in MVA (5% vs. 30.4%, p=0.009). Kaplan-Meier analysis yielded significantly diverging cumulative survival curves for those with and without at least 60% improvement in MVA (p=0.003). Conclusion: Concerning long-term follow up data of patients undergoing PMBV in a single center, it seems only acute postprocedural MVA was significantly associated with long-term consequences. (Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2011; 11:515-20)