Repair of posterior mitral valve prolapse with a novel leaflet plication clip in an animal model.

Objective: Recently, there has been increased interest in minimally invasive mitral valve prolapse repair techniques; however, these techniques have limitations. A new technique was developed for treating mitral valve prolapse that uses a novel leaflet plication clip to selectively plicate the prolapsed leaflet segment. The clip's efficacy was tested in an animal model.

Chronic hypobaric hypoxia, patent arterial duct and a new interventional technique to close it.

Background: Interventional closure of patent arterial duct has become an accepted alternative to surgical closure. Clinical trial with "Nit-Occlud® PDA-R".

Methods And Results: To assess the safety and efficacy of the device, we performed a prospective clinical study between June, 2009 and December, 2010 in La Paz, Bolivia.

Beating-heart patch closure of muscular ventricular septal defects under real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic guidance: a preclinical study.

Objectives: Safe and effective device closure of ventricular septal defects remains a challenge. We have developed a transcardiac approach to close ventricular septal defects using a patch delivery and fixation system that can be secured under real-time three-dimensional echocardiographic guidance.

Methods: In Yorkshire pigs (n = 8) a coring device was introduced into the left ventricle through a purse-string suture placed on the left ventricular apex, and a muscular ventricular septal defect was created.

Three-dimensional echo and videocardioscopy-guided atrial septal defect closure.

Background: Current real-time three-dimensional echocardiography systems (RT3DE) can provide sufficient visualization to permit atrial septal defect (ASD) closure. However, detailed visualization of small objects inside the heart is still suboptimal because of limited resolution, which is a limitation for clinical application. We evaluate the complementary use of videocardioscopy in image-guided ASD closure.