Among appropriately selected patients with severe aortic stenosis who were not suitable candidates for surgery, TAVR reduced the rates of death and hospitalization, with a decrease in symptoms and an improvement in valve hemodynamics that were sustained at 2 years of follow-up. The presence of extensive coexisting conditions may attenuate the survival benefit of TAVR. (Funded by Edwards Lifesciences; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00530894.).

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Symptomatic CO following TAVI was a rare but life-threatening complication that occurred more frequently in women, in patients receiving a balloon-expandable valve, and in those with a previous surgical bioprosthesis. Lower-lying coronary ostium and shallow sinus of Valsalva were associated anatomic factors, and despite successful treatment, acute and late mortality remained very high, highlighting the importance of anticipating and preventing the occurrence of this complication.

Background-Aortic root rupture is a major concern with balloon-expandable transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We sought to identify predictors of aortic root rupture during balloon-expandable TAVR by using multidetector computed tomography. Methods and Results-Thirty-one consecutive patients who experienced left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT)/annular/ aortic contained/noncontained rupture during TAVR were collected from 16 centers. A caliper-matched sample of 31 consecutive patients without annular rupture, who underwent pre-TAVR multidetector computed tomography served as a control group. Multidetector computed tomography assessment included short-and long-axis diameters and crosssectional area of the sinotubular junction, annulus, and LVOT, and the presence, location, and extent of calcification of the LVOT, as well. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in any preoperative clinical and echocardiographic variables. Aortic root rupture was identified in 20 patients and periaortic hematoma in 11. Patients with root rupture had a higher degree of subannular/LVOT calcification quantified by the Agatston score (

TCEP was safe, captured embolic debris in 99% of patients, and did not change neurocognitive function. Reduction in new lesion volume on magnetic resonance scans was not statistically significant. (Cerebral Protection in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement [SENTINEL]; NCT02214277).

Mitral annulus calcification (MAC) is a chronic, degenerative process in the fibrous base of the mitral valve. Although MAC was initially thought to be an age-related degenerative process, there is accumulating evidence that other mechanisms, such as atherosclerosis and abnormal calcium-phosphorus metabolism, also contribute to the development of MAC. Despite its frequency, the clinical relevance of MAC is grossly underappreciated. Indeed, MAC is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, mitral valve disease, arrhythmias, and mortality. MAC also influences the outcomes of cardiac surgery and interventions, and its clinical relevance may well increase substantially in the forthcoming era of transcatheter mitral valve replacement. In this paper, we review the available published data to provide a consistent, clinically relevant description of MAC on the basis of contemporary imaging. We describe the pathophysiological mechanisms contributing to the formation of MAC and the clinical implications of this disease entity.

Our data lend strong support to 3-dimensional cross-sectional measures, using CT as the new gold standard for aortic annular evaluation for TAVR with the Edwards SAPIEN device.

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