Simplifying Minimally Invasive Heart Valve Replacements

An innovative planning and guidance tool helps interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons perform minimally invasive heart valve replacements.

The HeartNavigator is a planning and guidance tool designed to help interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons increase the objectivity of minimally invasive heart valve replacement procedure planning, as well as help simplifying and speeding up the procedure itself. The technology provides better insight into calcified plaque distribution in the ascending aorta and ostia of the coronaries, and provides automated planning to help simplify complex structural heart disease procedures. Physicians can thus simultaneously see detailed anatomy of the patient's heart, together with the positioning of the catheter and the placement and deployment of the artificial valve.


The HeartNavigator merges preoperatively acquired three dimensional (3D) computerized tomography (CT) scans of the patient's heart from previously acquired 2D CT datasets, merging them with live X-ray views. It then shows different visualizations of the aortic root, and suggests the best projection for the procedure, creating virtual device templates that can be used to assess and select the appropriate device size and the best projection for the patient's individual anatomy. The HeartNavigator interventional tool is a product of Philips Healthcare (Best, the Netherlands).

"The HeartNavigator builds on Philips' leadership in interventional cardiology, following solutions we introduced earlier for the minimally invasive treatment of obstructed heart arteries and heart rhythm disorders. Solutions that have simplified complex procedures and helped improve patient care,” said Bert van Meurs, general manager of Philips Healthcare Interventional X-ray Systems. "I am convinced that our new interventional solutions will have a similar impact on minimally invasive structural repairs to the heart.”

"Through the development of transcatheter valves and sophisticated interventional tools like Philips' HeartNavigator, we are now able to have a major positive impact on people's quality of life by offering heart valve replacement therapy to a group of patients for whom the risks associated with open heart surgery are too high,” said Jacques Koolen, MD, head of the department of cardiology at Catharina Hospital (Eindhoven, The Netherlands). "Replacing a valve in a beating heart is a very challenging procedure. By combining detailed 3D CT images with the live 2D X-ray imaging, we get a much better understanding of the patient's anatomy, helping us to achieve better valve placement and improved clinical outcome.”

Related Links:
Philips Healthcare
Catharina Hospital