title: Does the mitral valve recoil after percutaneous balloon valvotomy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The significance of passive stretching of the mitral valve as a contributor to valve opening, after percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC), is not known. Our objective was to determine whether any acute reduction in valve area occurs due to recoil of stretched valve structures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a prospective observational study, we evaluated nine patients (age 30.1±8.0 years; median valve score 7) who underwent PTMC. We calculated mitral valve area (MVA) before, immediately after, and at 10 and 30 min after valvotomy. There was no acute reduction in MVA after successful PTMC. But there was a significant increase in MVA at 30 min, from that measured immediately after the procedure (1.8±0.4 to 2.0±0.4 cm(2); P=.048). This was attributable to the continuing fall in pulmonary artery wedge (PAW) pressures (17±3 to 15±3 mmHg; P=.003) and transmitral gradients (8±3 to 7±2 mmHg; P=.037).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Passive stretching of the valve apparatus does not play an important role in valve opening after PTMC in young patients with favorable valve morphology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Electronic address: karthik2010@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ganesan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karthikeyan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Rajiv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Narang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Balram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bhargava
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002404:Catheterization; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult