Balloon Dilatation for Critical Pulmonary Stenosis

This study was conducted to investigate the outcome of balloon valvuloplasty for critical pulmonary stenosis in young infants. During a 6 .2-year period between January 1992 and February 1998, 34 infants with critical pulmonary stenosis, aged 1 to 58 days (16.8±16.6 days), underwent attempted balloon valvuloplasty in this institution. The procedure was accomplished in 28 patients, but failed in six . Surgical pulmonary valvotomy was performed in the six patients with one mortality. Immediately following valvuloplasty, the mean right ventricular systolic pressure decreased from 109.2±28.6 to 55.1±23.6 mmHg in the 28 patients (P<0.01). The mean pressure gradient decreased from 85.6±29.4 to 26±21.4 mmHg (P