EXPERIMENTAL BRANCH PULMONARY-ARTERY STENOSIS ANGIOPLASTY USING A NOVEL CUTTING BALLOON

To determine the safety and efficacy of a bladed balloon in the treatm ent of branch pulmonary artery stenosis, a model of left pulmonary art ery stenosis was surgically created in two-week-old pigs. Seven pigs u nderwent angioplasty, five with the bladed balloon and two with conven tional balloons. Overall, acute results showed a fall in the peak syst olic pressure gradients from 8.3 +/- 2.3 mmHg to 3.2 +/- 3.1 mmHg and an increase in the minimum stenotic diameters from 4.5 +/- 2 mm to 5.6 +/- 2 mm. Acute pathological examination after cutting angioplasty sh owed regular luminal cuts that healed completely by four to six weeks in chronically surviving animals. Two of three surviving animals had p ersistent vessel enlargement at follow-up with one showing little over all change, Cutting balloons are effective in branch pulmonary artery angioplasty and may have clinical applications.