As the population continues to grow, and life expectancy has increased, Aortic Stenosis (AS) has become the most common valvular disease requiring surgical treatment. The evolution of valve replacement therapies has progressed significantly since 1960. In the last 20 years, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been a game changer and has potential to become the standard of care. Despite uncertain prognosis benefits, balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV) can be useful in a broad range of patients with AS, as well as being bridging therapy to valve replacement, or as a destination therapy, besides its role in TAVI procedures. This lecture will describe the contemporary role of BAV in AS treatment and focuses on technical improvements that reframe BAV as an effective tool in a variety of clinical scenarios. One of these improvements is transradial BAV, either with the conventional approach of BAV or applying the bilateral technique with two balloons.

Gustavo Samaja is a Interventional Cardiologist with more than 30 years of experience in the field. With a extensive academic career, his practice is currently focused mainly on coronary interventions, but he performs structural and peripheral interventions supporting his staff. He is Chief of Diagnosis and Treatment Department at Policlínico Bancario and Head of Cath Lab at Sanatorio Colegiales in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is also consultant in Cardiovascular Diseases and Interventional Cardiology for several governmental and private organizations. He is Fellow of the Society of Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions since 2008, and Member of Argentinian and Latin-American Academic Societies as well. He delivered more than 200 lectures in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology congresses and is an active member of several academic associations (Interventional Academy, CIT Congress, C3 Congress, CACI).