The Changing Paradigm in the Treatment of Structural Heart Disease and the Need for the Interventional Imaging Specialist

Percutaneous interventions in structural heart diseases are emerging rapidly. The variety of novel percutaneous treatment approaches and the increasing complexity of interventional procedures are associated with new challenges and demands on the imaging specialist. Standard catheterisation laboratory imaging modalities such as fluoroscopy and contrast ventriculography provide inadequate visualisation of the soft tissue or three-dimensional delineation of the heart. Consequently, additional advanced imaging technology is needed to diagnose and precisely identify structural heart diseases, to properly select patients for specific interventions and to support fluoroscopy in guiding procedures. As imaging expertise constitutes a key factor in the decision-making process and in the management of patients with structural heart disease, the sub-speciality of interventional imaging will likely develop out of an increased need for high-quality imaging.