Head to head transcatheter heart valve comparisons: when theory becomes reality

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is nowadays the standard treatment for severe aortic stenosis in symptomatic patients with extreme or high surgical risk (1-3) and a valid alternative to surgery in elderly patients at intermediate risk. This is the consequence of accumulating clinical experience, technological improvements and the promising results of several randomized clinical trials (4-6). Nevertheless, several limitations related to TAVI, such as conduction disturbances and paravalvular leak (PVL) remain an ongoing concern and an opportunity for improvement.