Transcatheter aortic and mitral valve interventions: Update 2010

In recent years, the cardiovascular community has witnessed the advent of new, transcatheter-based beating-heart approaches to valvular heart disease. Since the mid-1980s, when balloon valvuloplasty of stenosed aortic valves and percutaneous commissurotomy in mitral stenosis were introduced into clinical practice, interventional valve therapy has seen a tremendous upsurge. Today, transcatheter aortic valve implantation has become a viable treatment alternative for selective cases at specialized centers. While transcatheter aortic valve implantation is currently restricted to high-risk patients and surgical aortic valve replacement remains the reference treatment, broader clinical application can be anticipated for the future. Nonsurgical intervention for treatment of mitral regurgitation is a second field of intense investigation. The growing incidence of congestive heart failure in western societies has created an unmet clinical need for less invasive treatment strategies for patients with functional or organic mitral regurgitation. This article summarizes the current state of transcatheter aortic and mitral valve interventions and discusses future perspectives.