ARTICLE SUMMARY:
The two leaders in transcatheter valve repair and replacement technology are also quietly marketing and developing minimally invasive technology to replace defective pulmonary valves, even though it is a small market opportunity.
Transcatheter technology has transformed heart valve repair and replacement over the last 15 years, first with the advent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), and more recently with advances in transcatheter tools to repair or replace the mitral and tricuspid valves. Patients with defective pulmonary valves also need an alternative to open-heart surgery, but TPVR—transcatheter replacement of the pulmonary valve (also referred to as the pulmonic valve)—has not received nearly as much investment, innovation, or attention.
