[Treatment of valvular heart diseases with catheterization techniques].

While valve surgery is an established form of treatment in significant valvular heart diseases, open heart surgery is not possible for all patients, owing to the risks involved. The incidence of valvular heart diseases increases sharply with age, and it is common that operative risks are overestimated due to age and associated diseases. This review deals with two catheter therapies that are in clinical use for valvular heart diseases: insertion of aortic valve prosthesis through a catheter and treatment of mitral valve insufficiency by clip implantation via the transvenous access.