Is percutaneous antegrade balloon valvuloplasty using the Inoue balloon safe and effective for managing severe aortic stenosis during pregnancy?
Percutaneous antegrade balloon aortic valvuloplasty using the Inoue balloon is a safe and effective palliative option for severe aortic stenosis during pregnancy.
We describe the use of the Inoue balloon to dilate the aortic valve by the physiologic antegrade route during pregnancy. A 27-year-old pregnant woman with severe aortic stenosis presented with progressive dyspnea and presyncope at 26 weeks of pregnancy. She subsequently underwent percutaneous valvuloplasty by the antegrade route utilizing the transseptal puncture. We conclude that percutaneous antegrade balloon valvuloplasty by the Inoue balloon (venous approach) is a safe and effective procedure. It markedly reduces fluoroscopy and is a palliative procedure that allows pregnancy to continue.
Bhargava et al. (Tue,) studied this question.