Fetal Valvuloplasty for Critical Aortic Stenosis

Abstract

Fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) aims at modifying the progression of aortic stenosis evolving to hypoplastic left heart syndrome (Donofrio et al. Circulation 129(21):2183–2242, 2014). In the last decades, the observation of mid-term outcome of the patients that have been intervened prenatally has allowed further understanding of the disease and the effects of FAV, as well as of postnatal treatment of these patients. FAV is also being studied with animal models, but still with limited results. Given the small number of cases, multicenter studies are ongoing. We present a review of the most recently reported data and central aspects of our experience in the procedure.