Transcatheter approaches for mitral valve regurgitation

Abstract

Surgical repair for a longtime was and currently is regarded as the gold-standard for the treatment of mitral regurgitation (MR). With an aging population, significant MR became not only more prevalent, but also fundamental for development of transcatheter devices for patients at high surgical risk. After successful attempts in transcatheter mitral valve reconstruction two decades ago, successful transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) was performed for the first time in 2012. Currently several repair-systems are available and a couple of them proved to be even superior to conventional surgery in selected patient populations. Since the mitral valve (MV) apparatus is a complex anatomical structure, progress in development of TMVR took longer than in transaortic valve replacement (TAVR). We aim at giving insight in current standards of transcatheter treatments for severe MR by critically reviewing the latest literature.