title: Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy in juvenile mitral stenosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the efficacy and safety of percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC), using multi-track double balloon technique in juvenile mitral stenosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Open non-randomised intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac catheterisation laboratories of The Mater Hospital, The Nairobi Hospital and Kenyatta National Hospital from 1996 to 2001.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty five consecutive patients aged less than 21 years with severe pure mitral stenosis and suitable mitral valve apparatus (leaflets, chordae and papillary muscles) for successful commissurotomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy under local anaesthesia. Standard left and right heart catheterisation for mitral valve disease. Trans-septal left atrial entry using standard septal puncture technique and left ventricular position secured by super-stiff guide-wire. Double-balloon mitral valvotomy on single guide-wire using multi-track balloon catheters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mitral valve area, left atrial pressures, mitral regurgitation grade, NYHA functional class.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mitral valve area increased from 0.6 +/- 0.19 cm2 to 1.9 +/- 0.19 cm2 (p<0.001), left atrial pressures from 30.5 +/- 3.9 mmHg to 11.5 +/- 3.8 mmHg (p<0.001). Most patients NYHA functional class immediately improved from class III-IV to class I-II. There was no significant changes in grades of mitral regurgitation or significant complications related to the procedure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PTMC in juvenile mitral stenosis using the multi-track technique is safe and effective yielding satisfactory immediate results.
authors.affiliation: Hurlingham Heart Clinic, PO Box 76555, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: G O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Yonga
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonhoeffer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002404:Catheterization; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011859:Radiography