Balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty in the management of cyanotic congenital heart defects

Twenty-three children with cyanotic congenital heart defects, aged 3 days to 11.5 years, weighing 2.9 to 30 kg, underwent percutaneous balloon pulmonary valvuloplasty to improve pulmonary oligemia. The patients were divided into two groups: group I with intact ventricular septum and group II with ventricular septal defect. In 12 group I patients, there was an increase of systemic arterial oxygen saturation [83 ± 8% (mean ± SD) vs. 94 ± 5%, P 0.001) from 105 ± 48 to 25 ± 18 mm Hg. In 11 group II patients, arterial oxygen saturation (67 ± 13 vs. 83 ± 13%, P 0.1). Immediate surgical intervention was avoided in all cases in both groups. On follow-up, 1 to 36 months after valvuloplasty, arterial oxygen saturation, pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio, and pulmonary valve gradients remain improved in both groups. However, in group I, repeat balloon valvuloplasty was required in two children. In group II, six children with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) underwent successful total surgical correction 4 months to 2 years after valvuloplasty. Two children with transposition of the great arteries required Blalock-Taussig shunts 6 and 18 months after valvuloplasty for further improvement of hypoxemia. Demonstrable increase in pulmonary artery diameter occurred in several children. These data suggest that pulmonary valvuloplasty offers an excellent relief of pulmonary valve obstruction in the intact ventricular septum group and palliation of pulmonary oligemia in the ventricular septal defect group. In the latter group, avoiding immediate surgical shunts in all patients and achieving growth in pulmonary arterial size in many patients, thus making them suitable for further surgical palliation or correction, are additional advantages.