[Treatment of mitral regurgitation with the MitraClip]

The consideration for treatment of mitral regurgitation is dependent on its underlying cause: degenerative or functional. The percutaneous MitraClip treatment is mostly suitable for patients with severe, symptomatic mitral regurgitation and additional risk factors, who therefore do not qualify for surgical treatment but still have a life expectancy of more than one year. The MitraClip treatment has undergone technical improvements in the past ten years and has a low rate of periprocedural and postprocedural complications. Patients with severe functional mitral regurgitation, a relatively preserved left ventricular function, and a limited left ventricular volume benefit most from a MitraClip treatment. The number of MitraClip procedures in the Netherlands is strongly increasing and has shown good results. Besides the development of the MitraClip and introduction of new devices, careful patient selection is the most important instrument to achieve better results.