The Sapien valve provides enough grip to be implanted in pulmonary position without a pre-stent

Background: Pre-stenting is a widely used technique for transcatheter pulmonary valve implantation (TPVI). For the Melody valve a pre-stent creates a reliable and solid landing zone. In contrast to the Melody valve, the Edwards Sapien valve consists of a strong balloon expandable stent designed for implantation in the aortic position. The usage of a Sapien valve in pulmonary position might therefore obviate the need of a pre-stent. Methods: This retrospective, single centre study reviewed the procedural outcomes of patients receiving the Sapien XT transcatheter valve in pulmonary position without prior implantation of a pre-stent. All consecutive patients with dysfunctional right ventricle to pulmonary artery (RV-PA) conduits or with dysfunctional pulmonary valve treated at the German Heart Centre in Munich were included in this study. Results: We report on successful implantation of a Sapien XT/3 without usage of a pre-stent. Conclusions: Abandonment of the pre-stent simplified the procedure and reduces the radiation burden for the patients.