Between August 1980 and May 1995 we studied 31 patients who underwent aortic valvuloplasty for aortic insufficiency. Eighteen (58.06%) were male and 13 (42.94%) female. The age ranged from 2 to 68 years (avarage 20.9 +/- 18.3). The ethiology was congenital in 21 (67.65%), rheumatic in 6 (19.35%), degenerative in 3 (9.67%) and infective endocarditis in 1 (3.25%). The type of valvuloplasty performed were: anuloplasty with external fixation of the cusp in 10, anuloplasty with internal fixation of the cusp in 10, partial anuloplasty in 4, triangular resection of prolapsed cusp in 5 and correction with a patch of bovine pericardium in 2 patients. The most frequent associated surgery was ventriculosseptoplasty in 14. The mean time of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic crossclamp was 96.43 and 70.53 min, respectively. We didn't have operatory death. One patient was submitted to a new valvuloplasty in the intra-operative period because of a residual insufficiency. We observed one death in the follow-up due to a cardiac insufficiency nineteen months after surgery. Twenty five (80.6%) patients are in functional class (N Y H A) in the follow-up. We concluded that patients who underwent aortic valvuloplasty for aortic insufficiency had low surgical risk and good outcome.
Aortic valve insufficiency; Aortic valve; Aortic valvuloplasty