Transcatheter cardiac interventions and the role of interventional echocardiography

This thesis concerns the application of three new procedures in the field of structural heart disease. Firstly, we investigate the mineral invasive transcatheter tgechnique to treat high-surgicval risk patients with severe symptomatic MR using edge-to-edge technique with the MitraClip system. Secondly, we describe a percutaneous device (Watchman) for exclusion of the LAA from the systemic circulation and hereby reducin gthe risk of stroke and abolishing the need for VKA and associated bleeding risk. Thirdly, we focus on a minimal invasive treatment of symptomatic peri-prosthetic leaks using a transapicla access in patients with a high operative mortality risk of who are denied for surgery. Finally, the additional value of 3DTEE for patient selection and guidance of these transcatheter cardiac interventions throughout this thesis is shown.