Imaging for transcatheter valve procedures.

Percutaneous intervention for valvular heart disease is becoming a reality and is one of the fastest growing fields in interventional cardiology. As exposure and visualization are critical for surgical repair or replacement, adequate imaging is crucial for transcatheter interventions where direct visualization is not possible. X-ray and ultrasound are the fundamental modalities for imaging in this situation, although magnetic resonance related imaging is under development. In this review, we describe the use of fluoroscopic, computed tomographic, and echo imaging for rapidly evolving percutaneous valve technologies with a focus on providing clinical pearls and perspective on each imaging tool. Copyright 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.