Transcatheter/Hybrid Aortic Valves in the Young

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (T-AVI) has been established as an alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement. The number of procedures is steadily rising and has reached comparable implant rates to conventional aortic valve replacement. The success of T-AVI is easily explained by their true minimally invasive nature, ease of use, and excellent hemodynamics. Whilst their use was initially limited to high-risk patients, current trends show that more and more intermediate-risk patients are now treated with theses prostheses. The question arises whether children would also benefit from this type of procedure. Percutaneous transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement is already becoming an important adjunct in the treatment of older children with failing right ventricular outflow tract conduits. Recently, several valve-in-valve procedures have been performed using T-AVI in failing bioprosthetic valves in young patients. There has also been a report of successful transcatheter neoaortic valve replacements in young patients after Fontan palliation. As an alternative to transcatheter valves, so called hybrid or sutureless rapid deployment aortic valves have recently been introduced into clinical practice. Although this concept is old, the current generation of these prostheses has been redesigned based on modern experiences with transcatheter valves. Current outcomes demonstrate that aortic valve replacement with sutureless valves could be a promising option for aortic stenosis, by facilitating minimally invasive surgery and minimizing cardiopulmonary bypass and cross clamping time. Therefore, the sutureless valve could prove to be an important alternative to conventional bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement in children too. In the current review, we provide an overview of the different types of transcatheter and sutureless aortic valve substitutes, discuss their advantages and short comings, and outline their clinical performance and potential benefits in a young patient population.