Changes in cardiac function reserve after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty: a longterm follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term effect of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV) by observing the changes in mitral valve reserve after PBMV and during the long-term follow-up and by exploring the relations of these changes with stress echocardiographic scores. METHODS: Stress echocardiogaphy was performed in patients receiving PBMV for mitral stenosis both after surgery and during the long-term follow-up study, and Wilkins scores of the patients were obtained pre-operatively. Intravenous isoproterenol was administered before test to increase the heart rate to simulate mild, moderate and heavy exercises, and the indices for cardiac function were recorded. RESULTS: After PBMV, mitral valve reserve and cardiac function reserve were partly restored, and stress echocardiographic score was closely related to long-term cardiac function ( = 0.82). CONCLUSIONS: PBMV can increase mitral valve area and partly resotreit funtional reserve, and stress echocardiographic score is more predictive of the long-term cardiac function than Wilkins score.