Patients too ill for open heart surgery will no longer have to leave Scotland for specialist treatment.

A new centre is being opened at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for a procedure known as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (Tavi), the Scottish Government said.

The operation is already available in Manchester and Belfast to Scottish patients if they are referred by a local health board.

Alex Neil, the new Health Secretary, said: "There is a growing body of evidence regarding the effectiveness of Tavi and that is why I am pleased to announce we will now be able to provide this service in Scotland.

"Unfortunately, some patients are too ill to receive open heart surgery and Tavi can mean they get the treatment that they need."

Tavi is considered less invasive and sees a replacement valve passed through a hole in the groin and advanced up to the ascending aorta of the patient.

It is expected the operation will be suitable for about 50 Scots patients a year, the Government said.

The service, available from October, will be monitored over the next year.