Allison Cabalka, M.D.

Allison K. Cabalka, M.D., is a congenital interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She specializes in catheter-based diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart disease across the lifespan, from infancy through adulthood. Her clinical expertise includes transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement and endovascular treatment of complex congenital heart conditions. Dr. Cabalka takes a comprehensive, individualized approach to care, working with patients and multidisciplinary teams to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Areas of expertise

Dr. Cabalka provides advanced catheter-based therapies for patients with congenital and structural heart disease, including:

• Congenital heart disease interventions: Diagnostic and therapeutic cardiac catheterization for simple and complex congenital heart conditions.
• Transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement: Extensive experience with balloon-expandable valve platforms, including Melody and SAPIEN valves and valve-in-valve therapies, as well as self-expanding valve platforms for native right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) therapy, including Harmony and Alterra/SAPIEN. Dr. Cabalka also serves as the Mayo Clinic principal investigator for the PROTEUS clinical study evaluating the self-expanding VenusP-Valve platform.
• Atrial septal defect (ASD) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure: Device-based closure of atrial septal communications.
• Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure: Catheter-based closure of PDA in children and adults.
• Coarctation of the aorta: Endovascular stent therapy for aortic obstruction.
• Pulmonary artery stenosis: Balloon angioplasty and stent placement for pulmonary artery obstruction.
• Systemic venous pathway obstruction and baffle complications: Catheter-based and stent therapies for venous pathway obstruction associated with congenital heart disease and prior surgical repairs.

Research and expertise

Dr. Cabalka is a professor of pediatrics at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a consultant in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, with a joint appointment in the Division of Structural Heart Disease. She is board-certified in pediatric cardiology by the American Board of Pediatrics and serves as a Director-at-Large for the PICS Society.

Her academic and research work focuses on advancing catheter-based therapies for congenital heart disease. She has held leadership roles in national and international clinical trials evaluating transcatheter heart valves and other device-based therapies and has contributed to the development and evaluation of new technologies designed to expand minimally invasive treatment options for children and adults with congenital heart disease.