Late clinical and echocardiographic follow up after percutaneous balloon dilatation of the mitral valve.

Abstract

Balloon dilatation of the mitral valve provided sustained anatomical and functional improvement in over 80% of patients at late follow up. Older age, heavy calcification, high echocardiographic score, and suboptimal immediate results are significant predictors of restenosis. Doppler echocardiographic examination is the procedure of choice for follow up evaluation.