Early experience with transcatheter mitral valve replacement: successes, challenges, and future directions

Over the past decade, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the treatment of patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). TAVR gained a foothold as a viable aortic valve replacement (AVR) strategy in patients deemed inoperable, and early clinical trials in this setting confirmed a clear and dramatic survival advantage of TAVR over palliative medical therapy (1).