Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
The 1st balloon valvuloplasty: an historical note.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2002
- Authors:
- Buchanan, James W et al.
- Affiliation:
- School of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
In 1980, a groundbreaking procedure called balloon valvuloplasty (BV), which is now the preferred treatment for a heart condition called pulmonic stenosis in both humans and dogs, was first tested on an English Bulldog. This test was crucial because if it had gone badly, it could have delayed the procedure for children for many years. Fortunately, the bulldog had a successful outcome, even though it had some hidden heart issues that weren't recognized at the time. The small balloon used in the procedure did not cause any serious damage to the dog's heart, which has been a problem in other bulldogs since then. Overall, this initial test paved the way for BV to help thousands of patients each year.
Abstract
Balloon valvuloplasty (BV) is currently the treatment of choice for pulmonic stenosis in humans and dogs. Before permission was obtained to attempt the 1st BV in a child in 1982, the safety and efficacy of the procedure were tested in 1980 in an English Bulldog with spontaneous pulmonic stenosis. A fatal outcome would have caused indefinite postponement of BV in human patients, a procedure that currently benefits over 25,000 patients a year worldwide. This article describes the initial test procedure and its fortunate outcome in spite of unrecognized coronary anomalies in the bulldog. A small balloon was used in the test procedure, and fatal disruption of the anomalous left coronary artery (CA) did not occur as it has in several bulldogs since that time.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11822800/