[Transluminal percutaneous pulmonary valvuloplasty. Follow up of 34 patients].

Thirty four children aged 2 to 11 years (means = 4.8 +/- 2.4 years) with pulmonary valve stenosis were treated by percutaneous transluminal valvuloplasty with catheter-balloon. All of them were reevaluated one month and six months after valvuloplasty, and once more year after the procedure. The evaluation consisted on clinical examination, chest Rx, ECG and Doppler 2 D-Echocardiography. We found a close correlation between transpulmonic gradients by Doppler and manometry. After pulmonary valvuloplasty we detected 12 cases of slight pulmonary insufficiency. Changes in ECG were significant since signs of right heart hypertrophy disappeared. Immediate good results got after valvuloplasty, remained and even improved throughout checking. We conclude that, faced with our results, we consider valvuloplasty as a definitive treatment of pulmonary stenosis, Doppler-two-Dimensional Echocardiography, is also useful for evaluating patients without need for a new catheterisation and EECG is an ideal complement to 2 D-Doppler Echocardiography.