title: Assessment of the "long sheath" technique for percutaneous aortic balloon valvuloplasty.
abstract: A 100 cm-long 16.5 F valvuloplasty catheter introducer was assessed as an adjunct for percutaneous transluminal aortic valvuloplasty (PTAV) via the femoral artery in 31 patients with severe aortic stenosis. Observed improvements in peak systolic gradient (81.6 +/- 29.9 mm Hg vs. 35.5 +/- 16.0 mm Hg, P less than 0.000001) and aortic valve area (0.6 +/- 0.4 cm2 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.6 cm2, P less than 0.00001) were similar to those achieved in a control group (C) of 17 patients in which no femoral sheath was used. However, a shorter procedure duration (211 +/- 81 min vs. 117 +/- 30 min, P less than 0.001) and a reduced rate of vascular complications at the femoral puncture site (41% vs. 6.5%) were observed in patients in whom the long sheath (LS) technique was used. The frequency of other PTAV-related complications was comparable (C = 35%, LS = 29%, P = n.s.). Other technical advantages of this device are: 1) prevention of looping and bending of the balloon catheter in tortuous vessels and easy positioning of the balloon across the aortic orifice provided by the LS trackability, 2) stabilisation of the balloon during inflation, 3) monitoring of supravalvular aortic pressure provided by the side-arm of the LS and reliable measurement of systolic gradient, and 4) the ability to perform aortograms without the need of another catheter in the ascending aorta. Thus, in our experience, the long sheath technique is a valuable adjunct for PTAV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plante
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Beatt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van den Brand
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Mario
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Serruys
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000473:pathology; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000628:therapy*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D011140:Polyurethanes; D013997:Time Factors; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D011140:Polyurethanes; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene