Independent predictors of immediate and long-term results after pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty in dogs

ObjectivesDetermine whether valve morphology, pulmonary annulus diameter, aortic/pulmonic annulus ratio, balloon-to-annulus ratio (BAR), pre-pulmonary balloon valvuloplasty (PBV), Doppler gradient, and residual Doppler gradient are independent predictors of immediate and long-term results after PBV in dogs as in humans.Animals, materials and methodsRetrospective study. Medical records of dogs that underwent PBV, from January 1999 to December 2008 were reviewed. All dogs with pre- and immediate (24 h) post-PBV echocardiographic examination were included. 126 dogs were selected. Immediate outcome was optimal when the dog survived the PBV and Doppler gradient was ≤50 mmHg. Long-term outcome (1 year) was optimal when the dog survived at least 1-year follow-up without symptoms and Doppler gradient was ≤50 mmHg.ResultsOnly pre-PBV Doppler gradient was identified as a significant independent predictor of immediate results (P < 0.001; OR 0.97, CI 0.96–0.98). Pre-PBV Doppler gradient and residual Doppler gradient were the only independent predictors of long-term results (P = 0.036; OR 0.98, CI 0.96–0.99 and P = 0.005; OR 0.95, CI 0.92–0.98, respectively).ConclusionIn dogs as in humans higher pre-PBV Doppler gradient is one of the most important independent predictor of suboptimal immediate and long-term results after PBV and must be considered before scheduling this procedure. Moreover higher valvar residual Doppler gradient is an important independent predictors of suboptimal long-term results.