BACKGROUND Transnasal cannulation of the natural ostium in patients with an intact uncinate process is complicated by the lack of direct visualization of the ostium. Accuracy of transnasal dilation of the maxillary ostium was evaluated for a malleable-tipped balloon device that was bent to specific angles for avoiding the fontanelle during cannulation. METHODS Transnasal cannulation and dila...

PURPOSE Endoluminal application of mitomycin C shows promise as a nonsurgical approach to treating recalcitrant stricture but requires precise delivery to prevent mitomycin-mediated injury to adjacent normal mucosa. We describe a novel technique that uses a microporous polytetrafluoroethylene catheter balloon to endoluminally deliver mitomycin C to the target tissue while minimizing nontarget d...

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BACKGROUND Cervical dilation using mechanical dilators is associated with various complications, such as uterine perforation, cervical laceration, infections and intraperitoneal hemorrhage. To achieve safe and painless cervical dilation, we constructed a new medical device to achieve confident mechanical cervical dilation: a continuous controllable balloon dilator (CCBD). METHODS Controlled p...

OBJECTIVES the aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term results of transcatheter balloon aortic valvuloplasty, the preferred treatment for congenital aortic stenosis (AS). BACKGROUND aortic valve function and reintervention late after this procedure are not well characterized. METHODS from 1985 to 2008, 563 patients underwent balloon dilation for congenital AS. After excluding those ...