Percutaneous valve replacement and repair

reater advances in the use of percutaneous techniques for he treatment of coronary artery disease and cardiac nonoronary interventions have occurred during the last few ears. Among them, percutaneous techniques for the treatent of stenotic valvular lesions were developed, and their enefits were demonstrated in the treatment of most paients with pulmonary stenosis, rheumatic mitral stenosis, nd tricuspid stenosis and in some patients with non-calcific ortic stenosis (1,2). Even as percutaneous catheter aproaches may be the procedure of choice for most patients ith rheumatic mitral stenosis, they certainly are not for ost elderly patients with calcific aortic stenosis (1,2). lthough percutaneous techniques are the procedure of hoice for the treatment of most stenotic valvular lesions, pen heart surgery with valve replacement or repair is the nly therapeutic alternative for the treatment of patients ith symptomatic regurgitant valve lesions and for patients ith calcific aortic stenosis (1–3).