Structural Heart Disease Fellowship

Program Overview

The Houston Methodist training program in interventional cardiology also offers a second advanced non-ACGME year of training within our Structural Heart Disease Fellowship.

During the second advanced non-ACGME year, the fellow will acquire expertise as primary operator on coronary interventions, ethanol septal ablations, patent foramen ovale (PFO) and atrial septal defect (ASD) closures, and valvuloplasties in addition to learning to teach general cardiology fellows diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Our facilities use state of the art equipment and techniques, including flat-panel imaging, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), fractional flow reserve (FFR), intracardiac echo (ICE), rheolytic thrombectomy, as well as "niche" techniques such as rotational atherectomy. As a dedicated site to primary coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction, trainees have broad exposure to the entire spectrum of coronary disease, including chronic stable coronary artery disease, chronic total occlusion (CTO), acute coronary syndromes and ST-elevation MI. A thorough curriculum, including academic conferences, literature reviews, review of unusual cases/presentation has been a tradition at Houston Methodist.

Objectives of the Fellowship

The main objective of the Structural Heart Disease Fellowship is to provide an academically and clinically rigorous training program for the cardiology trainee to obtain the basic and clinical knowledge, procedural skills, clinical judgment, professionalism, and interpersonal skills required as a subspecialist in structural heart disease within interventional cardiology. This fellowship will allow the trainee to function as a highly competent subspecialist in the field of structural heart disease, including the development of skills in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), percutaneous aortic balloon valvuloplasty, atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale closure, trans-septal puncture, transcatheter closure of paravalvular leaks, alcohol septal ablation therapy, ventricular septal defect repair, and transcatheter mitral valve repair.

During training in the Structural Heart Disease Fellowship, the clinical experience will provide opportunities to diagnose, select therapies, perform structural interventional procedures, and manage and judge the effectiveness of treatments for both inpatients and outpatients with valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, and acquired structural heart disease.

Faculty