PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF BALLOON AORTIC VALVOPLASTY FOR CONGENITAL AORTIC VALVE STENOSIS - RESULTS AND IMMEDIATE COMPLICATIONS.

Objective: The aim of study was to evaluate the results and complications of percutaneous balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) in children with congenital aortic valve stenosis (AVS) at our setup. Study Design: Quasi experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Pediatric cardiology department of Armed forces institute of cardiology / National institute of heart diseases (AFIC/NIHD) from 1^st August 2010 to 31^st July 2012. Patients and Methods: We included 27 consecutive children including 21 (78%) male, who underwent BAV and procedural success was defined as if peak to peak pressure gradient (PG) across aortic valve was reduced to less than 50% of pre-procedural value with no more than grade II aortic regurgitation. Balloon to annulus ratio was kept under 0.9 and strictly followed in all cases. Results: The mean age of study population was 7.7 ± 4.6 years and procedure was successful in 25 (92.6%) cases and in these cases mean pre-procedural PG was reduced from 80.1 ± 34 mmHg to 26.1 ± 16.9 mmHg. Procedure was considered unsuccessful in two children including one case, where PG reduced to 60% of pre-procedural value. In another patient, procedure was abandoned as aortic valve could not be crossed after multiple attempts and transseptal puncture was not feasible. Local vascular complications occurred in 07 (26%) children. There were no deaths, non fatal cardiac arrest, cardiac tamponade or requirement of emergency cardiac surgery in our study population. Conclusion: BAV is an effective procedure with low complication rate in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]