Development of a balloon catheter for fetal aortic valvuloplasty

This thesis describes the design process of a new instrument that can be used to perform a fetal aortic valvuloplasty procedure. Congenital heart defects occur in 8 to 12 out of every 1000 live births. Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the most common congenital heart defects. When AS occurs, the opening and closing of the aortic valve does not...