A CLINICAL SURVEY OF 20 PATIENTS SUBMITTED TO AORTIC VALVULOPLASTY

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Abstract
The clinical course of the first 20 consecutive patients undergoing open operation for correction of aortic valvular stenosis at the Montreal General Hospital has been reviewed. The operative mortality was 25%. The 15 survivors have been followed for periods ranging from 10 to 30 months. Two late deaths have occurred among the operative survivors. The symptomatic improvement achieved in the survivors has been extremely gratifying. However, objective assessment of improvement, particularly in the electrocardiogram and the radiographic appearance of the heart, has not matched the symptomatic improvement. It is concluded that open operation for correction of aortic stenosis offers the best opportunity for survival in the late stage of this disease.