Long-term outcome after treatment of isolated pulmonary valve stenosis
Introduction
Pulmonary valve stenosis (PVS) is a common disorder and accounts for up to 10% of all congenital heart defects. Until a few decades ago, surgical intervention was the treatment of choice for a moderate to severe PVS. However, since the first balloon valvuloplasty has been performed in 1982 by Kan [1], it has been further established as a valuable alternative. Although isolated PVS is relatively common, few data are available on very long-term follow-up after treatment, either surgically or by balloon angioplasty. Therefore, we aimed at evaluating retrospectively the outcome of both PVS treatment choices in our centre.
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Patients' selection
An automatic search in the database of all patients with congenital heart disease followed in our centre was performed. After looking for every case of PVS, those patients with isolated PVS were selected. Patients with associated anomalies (Table 1) were not considered for further analysis. Patients found to have a PVS in combination with a patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defect (ASD) without any further anomalies, were not excluded. Patients with Noonan syndrome were selected for
Selection of patients
In our centre's database, 120 patients underwent surgical repair for PVS between 1960 and 2009. Twenty-seven patients were excluded from further analysis because of associated anomalies, as listed in Table 1. The patient with mitral valve dysplasia also had a problem of left ventricular non-compaction. One patient had first undergone balloon angioplasty and in thirteen patients, no follow-up data were available. Subsequently, a total of 79 surgically treated patients were eligible for further
Surgery
Survival data after surgical repair for isolated PVS are excellent. In our series of 79 patients we reported two in-hospital fatal cases and one late death due to myocarditis, unrelated to the preceding surgical intervention. These results confirm the data found in the literature. In a series of 191 patients with a follow-up time between 20 and 30 years, a survival (excluding hospital mortality) of 90% was reported at 25 years postoperatively [2]. Life expectancy was normal in patients who
Conclusions
Both surgery and PBA have low mortality rates and appear to be successful in relieving the acute transpulmonary gradient. Life-long follow-up after surgery is warranted because long-term results are worse than previously thought, due to severe PR. After PBA re-interventions for pulmonary stenosis are more frequently needed and the incidence of mild PR is high. Long-term results of PBA are still unknown.
Acknowledgement
The authors of this manuscript have certified that they comply with the Principles of Ethical Publishing in the International Journal of Cardiology [18].
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