State of the art percutaneous intervention for the treatment of valvular heart disease: a review of the current technologies and ongoing research in the field of percutaneous valve replacement and repair.

Technical developments in valvular intervention culminated in the first percutaneous valve replacement in the pulmonary position (2000) followed by replacement in the aortic position (2002). More recently, with the proven feasibility of percutaneous mitral valve repair, interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons have begun to develop a new subspecialty dedicated to the percutaneous treatment of valvular disease. This review describes the clinical status of the current field, the applicability and limitations of new technologies, and the upcoming devices that will soon reach Phase I clinical trials. Copyright 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.