Surgeons pilot expandable prosthetic valves for congenital heart disease
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 - 09:01
in Health & Medicine
Surgeons have successfully implanted a modified version of an expandable prosthetic heart valve in several children with mitral valve disease. Unlike traditional prosthetic valves that have a fixed diameter, the expandable valve can be enlarged as a child grows, thus potentially avoiding the repeat valve replacement surgeries that are commonly required in a growing child. The new paradigm of expandable mitral valve replacement has potential to revolutionize care for infants and children with complex mitral valve disease.