title: Real-time transesophageal echocardiography facilitates antegrade balloon aortic valvuloplasty.
abstract: We report two cases of severe aortic stenosis (AS) where antegrade balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) was performed under real-time transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) guidance. Real-time TEE can provide useful information for evaluating the aortic valve response to valvuloplasty during the procedure. It was led with the intentional wire-bias technique in order to compress the severely calcified leaflet, and consequently allowed the balloon to reach the largest possible size and achieve full expansion of the aortic annulus.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazato
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashoji
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tonomura
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kino
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kurotobi
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Center, Shiroyama Hospital, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
keywords: Aortic stenosis (AS); INOUE balloon; balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV); ultrasonics; valvular heart disease