Transcatheter aortic valve-in-valve replacement: Instead of a 4th sternotomy in a 21-year-old woman with aortic homograft failure

Abstract

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a well-established method for replacing native aortic valves; however, it was conceived for elderly patients with aortic valve stenosis, and the lack of data on long-term durability has led practitioners to restrict the use of TAVR to patients who have short life expectancies. Here, we describe the case of a 21-year-old woman who had undergone 3 previous open aortic valve replacements and who presented with symptoms of recurrent valvular failure. Transthoracic echocardiograms and computed tomographic angiograms revealed a degenerating aortic root homograft with substantial calcification, moderate-to-severe aortic valve stenosis, and severe aortic valve regurgitation. Open surgical valve replacement posed substantial risk to our patient, so we decided to perform valve-in-valve TAVR with use of the Edwards Sapien XT Transcatheter Heart Valve. The patient’s pulmonary artery pressure, valvular regurgitation, and symptoms improved substantially thereafter. We found that valve-in-valve TAVR into a failing aortic root homograft was less invasive than repeat surgical valve replacement in this young patient who had congenital vascular anomalies and a complex surgical history.