Balloon valvuloplasty for aortic stenosis.
Balloon valvuloplasty has recently emerged as an option for elderly patients who are poor surgical candidates. With medical management the prognosis is dismal; definitive treatment is valve replacement. The new procedure provides hemodynamic and symptomatic relief, but there are major complications. Restenosis is common and mortality during follow-up remains high.
Holmes
D R
DR
Mayo Medical School, Rochester, Minn.
D000368:Aged; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis