Valvuloplasty for Acquired Aortic Stenosis

Notable advances have been made in the past few years in the surgical treatment of heart disease.^1-3 Satisfactory techniques are available for the correction of many cardiac lesions. Although several procedures have been advocated for the treatment of patients with acquired aortic stenosis, none has been consistently successful. Any operation which does not restore mobility to the heavily calcified and relatively fixed aortic valve will be of limited value. Our results with the currently recommended "blind" or direct vision procedures have been quite unsatisfactory. Examination of these diseased valves at autopsy suggested the feasibility of removing the major obstructing and immobilizing calcareous deposits with restoration of more normal valve function. A technique was developed to accomplish this which we have referred to as aortic valvuloplasty.⁴ A description of the operative technique and the results of treatment in six patients with acquired aortic stenosis form the basis of this