Masanori Yamamoto MD

Dr. Masanori Yamamoto, MD, is a proctor for the CoreValve™ transcatheter aortic valve system in the Department of Cardiology of Toyohashi Heart Center in Japan. On December 1, 2016, Medtronic's new generation transcatheter aortic valve, the CoreValve™ Evolut™ R System, received reimbursement approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW) for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) unable to undergo surgery and for whom treatment with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is determined to be the best option.

This reimbursement approval followed the Shonin approval from the MHLW that Medtronic received in November. Evolut R is the first and only recapturable, self-expanding TAVR system available in Japan. Earlier in 2016, Edwards' SAPIEN 3 was approved, as well. To assess the clinical and market impact of these new-generation TAVRs in Japan, Angioplasty.Org's partner site, TCROSS NEWS, recently interviewed Dr. Yamamoto.