ABSTRACT
Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement was introduced in 2000 by Bonhoeffer et al.1 to treat stenosis and regurgitation in a prosthetic conduit in the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT).2 Since then, over 300 such procedures have been performed successfully worldwide. Balloon dilatation and bare metal stenting have been successfully used to relieve conduit obstruction at the expense of causing free pulmonary regurgitation. Percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement with a Melody percutaneous pulmonary valve (Medtronic, Inc) effectively relieves stenosis without causing severe regurgitation and is very effective in treating regurgitant conduits. In this chapter, we will outline our experience with
percutaneous pulmonary valve replacement, particularly emphasizing the complications of the procedure seen during the evolution of this new technique, right from its inception and first-in-human application.
