New techniques for percutaneous repair of the mitral valve

A variety of innovative techniques and devices are being developed for the percutaneous management of mitral insufficiency. More than 30 devices are in stages of development from early stage to human pivotal trials. Two devices for the management of degenerative myxomatous disease of the mitral valve replicate the Alfieri edge-to-edge surgical repair. One of those devices, the Evalve Mitraclip, is in a pivotal trial at the current time. The other devices address functional mitral regurgitation by a variety of techniques for performing mitral valve annuloplasty. The majority of devices take advantage of the proximity of the coronary sinus to the posterior mitral annulus to deliver devices that remodel the mitral annulus. Two devices perform septal lateral cinching decreasing the anterior posterior diameter of the mitral annulus and correcting leaflet malcoaptation. Numerous issues are discussed including regulatory hurdles and the integration of percutaneous techniques into clinical practice in a safe and efficacious manner.