Aortic stenosis. Indications and results of percutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI)

Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease in developed countries. Its prevalence increases progressively due the aging of the population. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), however, has revolutionised the treatment of AS. With the current data, we can confirm that TAVI is the treatment of choice for patients with severe symptomatic AS considered inoperable or with high surgical risk. In recent years, the use of TAVI has grown exponentially and is spreading to patients of intermediate surgical risk due to the procedure's good results, the reduced number of complications and the low incidence of prosthetic degeneration. The results appear to indicate that, in the medium term, TAVI will progressively substitute conventional surgery for treating most patients with severe AS.