title: Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement.
abstract: Percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation helps in prolonging the lifespan of surgically placed right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduits, and represents a less invasive alternative to repeat open-heart surgery. The clinical indications for treatment match those of surgery. As far as the suitability is concerned, the current ideal substrate is a degenerated RV-PA conduit, because of the presence of a certain degree of calcification that offers a safe anchoring point. So far, patients have been treated with low morbidity and mortality that were further improved with increasing experience. After percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation, patients experience a subjective improvement, mirrored by an objective increase of measured exercise capacity parameters and by reduced RV-PA gradient, regurgitant fraction, and RV volumes. New developments in the experimental field should result in an extension of indications in the future.
authors.affiliation: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK. alessandra72@iol.it
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frigiola
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nordmeyer
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonhoeffer