Cardiology Zurich: Heart specialist Prof. Roberto Corti

Prof. Dr. med. Roberto Corti is a specialist in cardiology at the Hirslanden Heart Clinic. The heart clinic, located in Zurich, has evolved into one of the leading institutes in the field of innovative treatment of heart disease in recent years.

One of the Leading Heart Clinics in Switzerland

The Heart Clinic Zurich impresses with its forward-looking procedures in the field of modern invasive cardiology and its excellent patient care. For this, the clinic was awarded four stars and the diploma Recognized for Excellence, which makes it one of the leading clinics in the healthcare system.

International Team of Experts in Cardiology

Prof. Corti and his team of 7 experts consisting of internationally well-respected cardiologists and cardiac surgeons convince by their excellent interdisciplinary cooperation. The focus is not on the specific specialist area, but on the best possible treatment of the patient.

To optimize the combination of cardiology and cardio surgery, the Hirslanden Heart Clinic has developed a hybrid surgery room in cooperation with the doctors, which in its kind can only be found in a few large university hospitals to date. This modern surgery room is equipped with the world's first hybrid imaging procedure. 3-D ultrasound and X-ray images are synchronized in real-time, thus uniquely supporting complex heart interventions.

Experienced Heart Specialist for Heart Valve Therapy

Prof. Corti has specialized in catheter-based heart valve therapy following his specialist training in general internal medicine (2004) and cardiology (2006). After intensive research work on this topic, he was awarded the title titular professor by the University of Zurich in 2011. He has already worked closely with his current colleague, the expert in cardiac surgery Prof. Grünenfelder, there. The long-standing collaboration in a well-rehearsed and experienced team enables treatment at the highest level. Professor Corti has become an internationally accepted expert in the field of heart valve intervention due to his many years of experience as a heart specialist and his extensive research work.

Professor Corti’s Main Treatment Areas

The catheter-based heart valve therapy at the Department of Cardiology Zurich includes various interventions, which are applied depending on the underlying disease. In particular, the replacement of the aortic valve and the reconstruction of the mitral valve should be mentioned here.

Catheter-Based Replacement of the Aortic Valve (TAVI)

Narrowing of the aortic valve (aortic valve stenosis) is the most common heart valve disease in older people. The aortic valve, which consists of three leaflets, opens and closes rhythmically with the blood flow that is pumped in the aorta by the heart. In aortic valve stenosis, deposits are disposed on the valve, which gradually stiffen the skin cusps. The heart valve can only open and close incompletely - the heart must apply more force to transport the blood through the narrowed valve. Breathlessness, dizziness, and chest pain, even at low exertion, are the result, which makes an intervention on the aortic valve necessary.

At the Department of Cardiology in Zurich, the implantation of a new aortic valve can be carried out minimally invasive using a catheter, where the heart specialist creates suitable access to the heart, which is usually done via the groin or close to the heart via the chest. Using this access, the still compressed aortic valve is placed directly over the defective one and anchored there. During unfolding, the aortic valve replacement pushes the skin cusps aside and takes over their function.

The procedure can be carried out with the heart beating and without general anesthesia, which means that even seriously ill patients for whom open-heart surgery under general anesthesia would be impossible can be successfully treated. Professor Corti's team carries out several hundred of these surgeries at the Department of Cardiology Zurich every year.

Catheter-Based Mitral Valve Reconstruction (Mitraclip)

Malfunctions of the mitral valve are also not rare at all. One of the most common defects is that the mitral valve no longer closes properly. If the heart valve leaks (mitral valve insufficiency), part of the blood flows back from the ventricle into the atrium, which causes the blood to back up into the lungs. The patient suffers from fatigue, exhaustion, and shortness of breath.

Professor Corti and his team are also able to treat this heart valve defect using catheters. A so-called mitraclip is inserted into the catheter and forwarded to the functionally impaired mitral valve. Once there, the heart specialist attaches a clip to the damaged area of the heart valve, which holds the valve edges together and stabilizes them. The leak has been eliminated. The heart can work optimally again, and the heart chambers are relieved. If this intervention is carried out in time, the development of cardiac insufficiency can be effectively prevented. Patients report significantly improved the performance and quality of life after the procedure.

Although the catheter-based intervention can only be carried out under general anesthesia, the patient is spared a stressful open-heart surgery. People with severe concomitant diseases, for whom the use of a heart-lung machine is often not possible, also benefit from such a procedure.

At the Department of Cardiology Zurich, even a leaking artificial heart valve is not an indication for another surgery. Professor Corti and his team of heart specialists can repair this defect using a catheter-based paravalvular leakage closure. This state-of-the-art procedure involves using a unique mini umbrella to cover the leakage.

Valvuloplasty - Dilatation of the Heart Valve

In certain forms of heart valve stenosis, it is sufficient to spread the resulting narrowing with an inserted balloon catheter to improve the functionality of the heart valve. This can be done during a cardiac catheter examination.

Invasive Cardiology

A further focus of Professor Corti's treatment is the diagnosis and therapy of coronary heart disease using cardiac catheters. To reliably diagnose a narrowing in the coronary arteries, the well-respected heart specialist uses two significant diagnostic procedures: coronary angiography and coronary hemodynamics. Both provide information on the penetrability of the coronary vessels and form the basis for targeted therapy.

Coronary angiography is an imaging procedure using a particular X-ray procedure to visualize the coronary vessels and make any narrowing visible. Before the examination, the physician injects a contrast agent into the coronary vessels via a cardiac catheter. However, an angiography of the coronary arteries is not sufficient to determine a precisely defined degree of stenosis. If there is suspicion of reduced blood flow in the coronary vessels, the additional measurement of coronary hemodynamics is decisive. A measuring probe inserted via a heart catheter measures parameters such as pressure and flow velocity of the blood.

Coronary Revascularization / Implantation of Stents

Depending on the diagnosed results, Professor Corti and his team determine a therapy that is precisely adapted to the patient. It is possible to insert a stent to revascularize a constricted coronary vessel to make it passable again. A stent is a kind of vascular support, which usually consists of a mesh. The stent is positioned at the critical point using a cardiac catheter and keeps the vessel open. The blood can flow unhindered again.

Structural Heart Disease

The treatment of structural heart disease is also one of Professor Corti's core competencies. These can be congenital heart defects, such as a connecting tunnel between the two atriums. This naturally provided connection is created in the fetus in the womb to bypass the pulmonary circulation - but usually closes after birth. This defect can also be treated with a cardiac catheter. The heart specialist attaches a so-called PFO or ASD closure to the opening. The umbrella-like closure prevents blood exchange between the atria. However, cardiac arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation, can also be successfully treated by inserting a so-called LAA closure.

Endomyocardial Biopsy

Another one of Professor Corti's specialties is an endomyocardial biopsy. It is an essential instrument for the differential diagnosis of certain heart diseases. In this examination, a tissue sample is taken from the heart muscle (myocardium) by a heart catheter, which is then examined in the laboratory.

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