Long-term results of percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty using the Inoue balloon catheter technique.

Mitral Valvuloplasty Using the Inoue Balloon Catheter Technique To the Editor: I read with interest the article on long-term follow-up after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty with the Inoue balloon catheter by Hernandez et al.1 They reported a restenosis rate of 39% at 7 years. My colleagues from China and I recently reported our experience with the same technique in a follow-up study up to 11 years in the first 202 patients2 among the original 4832 patients treated in China.3 The restenosis rate was 8%, which is very respectable and actually better than that after surgical closed commissurotomy (25% to 28%).2 Why the restenosis rate in the Chinese patients is much lower than that in the Spanish patients is unclear. Our experience as well as a series of recent reports of excellent long-term results have strengthened the previous conclusion that percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty using the Inoue balloon technique should be the procedure of first choice in most patients with mitral stenosis worldwide.4