Acute effect of percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy on ventilatory and hemodynamic responses to exercise. Pathophysiological basis for early symptomatic improvement.

Abstract

Significant relief of exertional dyspnea immediately after PTMC is not accompanied by an improvement in exercise capacity. A decrease in excessive ventilation due to a decrease in physiological dead space resulting from hemodynamic improvement partly contributes to the early relief of symptoms after PTMC. However, lung compliance, which was not measured in the present study, may have changed after PTMC. This change may also contribute to the symptomatic improvement.