Imaging for transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Abstract

Transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs) have revolutionized the treatment of aortic stenosis (AS). There have been few, if any, interventional devices in recent memory with such marked clinical impact on patient outcomes. TAVR has been firmly established as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) at least in patients deemed high or prohibitive surgical risk. Through the development of transcatheter heart valves (THVs), there have been a renewed interested in the role of imaging for TAVR planning, particularly the routine utilization of multislice computed tomography (MSCT). MSCT has significant advanced the understanding of the aortic complex and highlighted the potential challenges and limitation of the THV technology. Conventional follow up echocardiography had played a key role in highlighting the importance of paravalvular regurgitation in patient outcomes. The future for THV is exciting and its success will depend on the incorporation of data from MSC.