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Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Echocardiographic Evaluation of Atrial Communications before Transcatheter Closure
Published on: February 8, 2022
Transcatheter closure of paravalvular leaks: state of the art
I Cruz-Gonzalez1, J C Rama-Merchan2,3, J Rodríguez-Collado1
1Cardiology Department, University Hospital of Salamanca, IBSAL, Salamanca, Spain.
Abstract:
Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a serious complication after surgical valve replacement or after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Approximately 1-5% of PVLs can lead to serious clinical consequences, including congestive heart failure and/or haemolytic anaemia. For years, surgical re-intervention has been considered the treatment of choice for symptomatic patients with PVLs. However, surgical re-intervention is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Transcatheter PVL (TPVL) closure is a less invasive alternative to surgical re-intervention. The safety and feasibility of TPVL closure has been confirmed in several registries and a meta-analysis.In this review, we discuss the clinical implications and diagnosis of PVLs, technical considerations for TPVL, execution of the procedure and assessment of the results.
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