Repeat surgery has usually been considered the first choice to solve paravalvular leaks of prosthetic valves, but it carries a high operative risk, a high mortality rate and an increased risk for re-leaks. Percutaneous closure of such defects is possible, and different approaches and devices are used for this purpose. For mitral paravalvular leaks, constructing an arterio-venous wire loop for delivering the closure device through an antegrade approach is the most commonly used technique. Transcatheter closure can also be performed through a transapical approach or retrograde transfemoral arterial approach. We present a case of 68-year-old man with a mitral paravalvular leak that was successfully closed using an Amplatzer(®) Duct Occluder II, via retrograde transfemoral arterial approach under three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiographic guidance, without the use of a wire loop. The initial attempt to cross the paravalvular defect was unsuccessful, but the obstacle was finally overcome by introducing complex interventional techniques.
Keywords: Antegrade approach; Paravalvular leaks; Prosthetic valve; Retrograde approach; Wire loop.