Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy in managing rheumatic mitral stenosis

: From April 1987 to October 1989, 32 patients with mitral stenosis (MS) were treated, of whom percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) was performed in 14. PTMC was indicated by the surgeons in 5 patients including 1) 2 patients who refused reoperation, 2) one with early gastric cancer, 3) one with severe hyperthyroidism and cardiac cachexia, and 4) one with acute renal failure and aortic stenosis. In the other 9 patients, PTMC was indicated by the cardiologists, because it is less invasive. Thirteen patients underwent open mitral commissurotomy (OMC) and 5 patients were treated with mitral valve replacement (MVR). PTMC group: Symptoms were alleviated in 10 of 14. The mitral valve areas (MVA) changed from 1.03 +/- 0.47 cm2 to 1.90 +/- 0.67 cm2 (p < 0.001), and the mean pressure gradient between the left atrium and left ventricle decreased from 10.2 +/- 3.6 mmHg to 4.9 +/- 1.7 mmHg (p < 0.001). No significant mitral valve regurgitation (MR) was induced by PTMC. OMC group: Symptomatic improvement was observed in all patients. The MVA changed from 1.54 +/- 0.46 cm2 to 3.06 +/- 1.34 cm2 (p < 0.001) and the mean left atrial pressures were reduced from 17.6 +/- 7.8 mmHg to 10.5 +/- 4.2 mmHg (p < 0.001). MVR group: There was one hospital death, and the other 4 patients were discharged with satisfactory results. It is concluded that although PTMC has been routinely performed for mild cases, this method is also very helpful in treating patients having various complications which impede open heart surgery.