Aortic Valve Interventions

First described in the early 1980s, balloon dilation (also referred to as balloon valvuloplasty (BVP)) has been accepted as first line of treatment for children with moderate to severe congenital valvar aortic stenosis (AS). In infants, children, and adolescents with congenital valvar AS, a technically adequate balloon dilation will typically reduce the catheter peak-to-peak systolic valve gradient by 20–35 mmHg and will rarely cause severe aortic regurgitation. Many tertiary pediatric cardiac centers, including ours, adopted the standardized clinical assessment and management plan (SCAMP) for patients having aortic BVP, published by Boston Children’s Hospital, USA (Fig. 1) which can help to reduce variations, improve resources and clinical outcomes. This section is designated for aortic BVP outside of the neonatal period.