Background Most long-term studies after balloon mitral commissurotomy (BMC) were from industrialized countries. Less is known about the long-term results of BMC from developing countries where patients are younger with fewer mitral valve deformities. Methods Between December 1987 and December 1998, we performed BMC in 654 patients whose mean age was 33 ± 13 years. Baseline and postprocedural variables were evaluated to identify predictors of event-free survival (survival without repeat BMC or mitral valve replacement) and of freedom from restenosis defined as a mitral valve area (MVA) ≥1.5 cm2 after BMC and
