Percutaneous closure of a left ventricular perforation post balloon mitral valvotomy.

The risk of left ventricular perforation is a rare but well-recognized complication of percutaneous double balloon mitral valvuloplasty that usually requires surgical bailout. We describe a case of left ventricular perforation with cardiac tamponade, caused by the propulsion of the balloons during balloon mitral valvotomy on an 86-year-old female with previous thoracotomies that was resolved using percutaneous coil embolization of the perforation. This approach to these types of complications, although unlikely to be of extensive use, will serve to expand the horizon of options in the field of interventions. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 48:78-83, 1999.