A Brief Overview of Sex Differences in Transcatheter Therapeutics in Valvular Heart Disease

Purpose of Review The purpose of this paper is to review sex differences in transcatheter interventions, as detected by multimodality imaging, including echocardiography, cardiac computerized tomography, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. We will review differences in anatomy, hemodynamic parameters, vascular complications, and various imaging findings that help us understand the differences in clinical outcomes in women when compared to men. Recent Findings Several studies have been published over the past 5 years exploring the sex differences in transcatheter interventions and outcomes. The majority of these studies are retrospective analyses based on registry data given the novelty of many of these techniques. The sex differences vary based on the valve in question and specific technique employed. In this review, we attempt to highlight and summarize some of these findings. Summary Understanding sex differences in transcatheter interventions is critical to ensure the most favorable outcomes for all patients undergoing these procedures. Additional studies are necessary to further explore these differences as these novel techniques become more readily available.