Percutaneous transcatheter therapy of mitral valve regurgitation

Abstract

Just as the previous decade comprised of marked explosion in the utility and maturity of transcatheter interventions for coronary artery disease, the next decade will bear a similar focus on transcatheter approaches to heart valve disease. The MitraClip system represents a first-generation step in this direction and is remarkable for its success as such. As is true with many things, the pendulum of excitement for these novel technologies will initially swing a bit farther than where the real utility of these approaches will truly lie, and careful patient selection will be imperative.