Transcatheter valve implantation for patients with aortic stenosis.

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most frequent valve disease in Europe. It has a predominantly degenerative origin and is therefore mostly present in elderly patients. Valve replacement is the definitive therapy [1]; however, the risk of this treatment may be high in elderly patients with comorbidities. Several registries show that as many as a third of patients with severe valve disease and severe symptoms are not being considered for surgery. Thus, there is a role for less invasive alternatives. Balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) is now rarely used in isolation, mainly due to its limited longterm efficacy [2]. Conversely, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) currently represents a dynamic field of research and development 7 years after its introduction in clinical practice by Cribier et al. [3]. This article describes the main steps for patient selection, the technical aspects of prosthesis implantation, summarizes the current results of TAVI and finally elaborates on future perspectives.