Cor Vasa 2008, 50(4):163-166 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2008.055

Balloon aortic valvuloplasty - a forgotten method or hope for the high-risk elderly patient?

Radka Duchoňová, Josef Veselka, Kateřina Linhartová

Kardiologické oddělení, Kardiovaskulární centrum dospělých, Fakultní nemocnice Motol a 2. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha, Česká republika

Today, calcified aortic stenosis is the most common type of heart valve disease whose prevalence increases with increasing age. The gold standard in the treatment of calcified aortic stenosis is surgical aortic valve replacement, which is currently the most common valve-related surgical procedure. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) involves dilatation of a stenotic aortic orifice using one or two balloon catheters. According to current European guidelines, those indicated for BAV include patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, as a bridge to surgical aortic valve replacement in hemodynamically unstable patients at high surgical risk, or those requiring emergency major non-cardiac surgery. BAV may be beneficial for elderly patients as it improves the quality of their lives and eliminates the risks associated with surgery. The authors present the case of an 86-year-old female patient with severe symptomatic calcified aortic stenosis, treated by repeat balloon valvuloplasty.

Keywords: Calcified aortic stenosis; Balloon aortic valvuloplasty; Echocardiography; Restenosis

Published: April 1, 2008  Show citation