title: Percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty refined: use of a novel modified antegrade approach.
abstract: Mitral stenosis usually occurs many years after an episode of rheumatic fever and it has an indolent course until its later stages, when it acutely worsens. The rates of mitral stenosis keep declining; nonetheless, the need for advanced and sophisticated treatment modalities still remains. Our group has been applying a novel modified antegrade approach for treating mitral valve stenosis and, although we have limited experience, the results thus far are favorable. We present the preliminary data of three patients who suffered from symptomatic mitral valve stenosis and underwent successful percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty with this novel modified antegrade approach. This method increases the safety and the efficacy of the procedure and has the same clinical results as other available percutaneous techniques.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Department, "Mitera" Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stratos
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toutouzas
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Synetos
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Latsios
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stathogiannis
authors.forename: Odysseas
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kaitozis
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drakopoulou
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mastrokostopoulos
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Anousakis-Vlachochristou
authors.forename: Dimitris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tsiachris
authors.forename: Aggelos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papanikolaou
authors.forename: Skevos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sideris
authors.forename: Eleftherios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsiamis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tousoulis
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D063126:Balloon Valvuloplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D004452:Echocardiography; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery*; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000379:methods