Percutaneous aortic valve replacement: new hope for inoperable and high-risk patients.

Aortic stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in the Western world and its prevalence is increasing with an aging population. Although medical therapy has little to offer in terms of prognosis or symptomatic relief, at least one-third of patients with severe aortic stenosis are denied valve surgery as a result of age and comorbidities. This review describes the development of the percutaneous aortic valve as an alternative therapy for such patients. The technique, initial results and the current limitations of the procedure are explained alongside the ongoing trials necessary in order that such therapy may eventually be made widely available.