A balloon valvuloplasty is a minimally invasive treatment for aortic valve stenosis. The procedure is performed from inside the blood vessels. It is used mainly in children with congenital heart disease. In adults, aortic valve stenosis treatment in Germany is mainly carried out using heart valve replacement surgery. Balloon valvuloplasty in Germany can sometimes be used as a palliative procedure, as it can provide short-term improvement, preparing a patient for more efficient surgery in the future.
Content
- The essence of balloon valvuloplasty
- When can balloon valvuloplasty be used?
Balloon valvuloplasty is a minimally invasive procedure performed under X-ray guidance. The chest is not opened, as a small incision in the leg or, less frequently, in the arm is sufficient to catheterize the blood vessels.
You can seek medical attention at the University Hospital Essen, the University Hospital Ulm, or the University Hospital Oldenburg.
You are welcome to contact the specialists at the Booking Health company. We will take care of all the arrangements for your trip, help you select a clinic, and translate medical records into German. You can have your treatment completed faster and on your preferred dates. Our specialists will book hotel and airline tickets for you, meet you at the German airport, and take you to the hospital by car.
The essence of balloon valvuloplasty
A balloon valvuloplasty is an endovascular procedure. It is performed through a small incision on the leg, less often on the arm.
A doctor delivers a balloon catheter into the aorta through the blood vessels under X-ray guidance. It is placed in the position of the aortic valve. Under conditions of high-frequency stimulation of the heart, which is provided by an electrode inserted into it through the femoral artery, doctors inject a saline solution with a contrast agent into the balloon. When inflating, the balloon increases the lumen of the aortic valve.
When can balloon valvuloplasty be used?
As the main treatment for aortic stenosis, a balloon valvuloplasty can only be used in children in cardiosurgery departments in Germany. In the case of a congenital malformation, the procedure provides patients with stable results and eliminates the need for anticoagulants.
However, aortic valve stenosis is an acquired defect in most patients. It develops in the elderly due to degenerative changes in the aorta caused by atherosclerosis and arterial hypertension.
The treatment method can rarely be used for acquired aortic valve stenosis. Balloon valvuloplasty is less effective than valve replacement because it:
- slightly increases the area and reduces the severity of the defect but does not eliminate it completely;
- provides short-term results because a few months after the procedure, the heart valve opening narrows again.
Because of these shortcomings, hospitals with cardiosurgery departments use balloon valvuloplasty in debilitated patients who are currently unable to undergo heart valve replacement surgery due to the high risk of complications and death. Balloon valvuloplasty is a sparing and minimally traumatic procedure with a short recovery time. It allows doctors to stabilize the patient's condition so that in a few weeks or months, they can undergo aortic valve replacement surgery.
You can undergo your aortic stenosis treatment with balloon valvuloplasty in Germany. Doctors in this country treat the disease with high success rates and a minimal risk of complications. Cardiosurgery doctors successfully perform the procedure even for debilitated and seriously ill patients.
You can make your appointment for treatment in Germany through the Booking Health website. Our portal presents the cost of operations at different clinics. When you make your appointment through our service, the prices will be lower for you than when contacting the hospital directly, due to the lack of high taxes for foreign patients.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
ECR - European Cardiology Review
American College of Cardiology
Healthline
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