MRG projects growth standouts in European surgical procedures for next five years

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, growth standouts in European surgical procedures over the next five years will be in percutaneous heart valve procedures, arthroscopy and single-port laparoscopy.

Technical improvements in minimally invasive procedures allow for the successful treatment of patient types that were previously too risky for surgical intervention. By permitting successful surgery in previously difficult situations, these new techniques increase procedure volume and often lead growth.

"For example, in stable surgical markets, like heart valves, you'll see the largest growth in minimally invasive techniques like percutaneous heart valve procedures," says Mary Argent-Katwala, Vice President at MRG. "For the next five years, such procedures will be used primarily for high-risk patients not eligible for traditional open-chest surgery, and so won't yet be replacing conventional heart valve procedures. These additional procedures will drive growth in heart valve procedure volumes in Europe until at least 2014."

MRG projects that percutaneous heart valve procedures will show a growth rate of 54.2 percent from 2009 to 2014, while standard invasive procedures like tissue heart valve replacements, mechanical heart valve replacements, and annuloplasty procedures will show a combined growth of four percent. By 2014, percutaneous heart valve procedures will be 26 percent of heart valve procedures compared to 4.6 percent in 2009.

Arthroscopic techniques have traditionally been used in joints like knees and shoulders. Advances allow for their use in deeper joints like hip joints, as well as smaller joints in hand and foot. While arthroscopic procedure volumes overall are expected to show an annual growth rate of 4.3 percent annually from 2010 to 2015, hip joint arthroscopy will grow by 24.1 percent annually.

MRG's European Surgical Procedure Volumes 2011 includes procedure numbers from Millennium Research Group's 2010 publications. Therapeutic areas are covered in this report are cardiovascular procedures, dental implant placements, endoscopy procedures, facial injectable procedures, orthopedic procedures, and soft tissue repairs. Nations covered are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.