[Congenital heart defects in the adult: towards nonsurgical interventionism]

The classical treatment for congenital heart defects in adult patients has been surgical correction. Since the publication of Rashkind and Gruntzig's studies, interventional cardiology approaches have been developed to treat congenital and acquired heart defects. We discuss the current applications of this form of treatment and communicate our experience with percutaneous transcatheter procedures in adult patients for pulmonary valve stenosis, aortic valve stenosis, native coarctation, postsurgical coarctation, peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, ductus arteriosus and embolization therapy. We conclude that interventional treatment in adults with congenital heart defects is safe and feasible, that the indications for this approach to treatment are increasing, that it can be undertaken in patients of any age including high-risk patients, and that as with all interventional procedures, the learning curve must be successfully surmounted.