Objectives: To evaluate the impact of mild to moderate commissural calcification on the immediate outcomes of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty (PBMV).
Methods and results: We analysed the results of 223 consecutive patients (mean age 37.6 +/- 8.7 years) who underwent PBMV for rheumatic mitral stenosis. Commissural calcification was identified with a two-dimensional echocardiography (echo) in 65 (29.1%) patients with the severity of calcification being graded from 0-3. The anatomy and function of the mitral valve were assessed byWilkins echo score. In patients with no commissural calcification the increase in mitral valve area after PBMV was 0.90 +/- 0.42 cm2, which was greater than the increase in those with calcification grade 1 (0.83 +/- 0.42 cm2, p < 0.05), grade 2 (0.72 +/- 0.38 cm2, p < 0.05) and grade 3 (0.63 +/- 0.13 cm2, p < 0.05). In patients with an echo score of < or = 8, the presence of commissural calcification was associated with a smaller increase in mitral valve area (p < 0.05) and a smaller reduction in New York Heart Association (NYHA) function class after PBMV (p < 0.05). In patients with an echo score of more than 8, commissural calcification had no significant effect on the valve area increase and NYHA function class reduction (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Commissural calcification has an adverse effect on the clinical results of PBMV. Detailed pre-procedural assessment of commissural calcification with echocardiography must be performed to provide background information on the immediate outcomes of PBMV.