Balloon valvuloplasty may relieve
aortic valve
stenosis and its symptoms, especially
in infants
and children. However, in adults, the procedure isn't usually successful, and the valve tends to narrow again even after initial success. For these reasons, doctors rarely use balloon valvuloplasty today to treat aortic valve stenosis in adults, except in patients who are too sick to undergo surgery (may provide a few years of relief without much risk!).