Balloon mitral valvotomy: comparison between antegrade Inoue and retrograde non-transseptal techniques

Aims The results of percutaneous mitral valvotomy performed by the antegrade transseptal method using the Inoue balloon (n=1000; group 1) and by the retrograde non-transseptal technique using a polyethylene balloon (n=100; group 2) were compared in a retrospective, non-randomized study. Methods and results Both the groups were similar with respect to baseline characteristics. The success rate was 95% in group 1 and 93% in group 2. There was a significant increase in mitral valve area estimated by Gorlin's equation (Group 1: from 0·8 ± 0·5 to 2·1 ± 0·8 cm2; Group 2: from 0·8 ± 0·3 to 1·9 ± 0·8 cm2, both P