2019 AATS/ACC/ASE/SCAI/STS expert consensus systems of care document: A proposal to optimize care for patients with valvular heart disease

Treatment of Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis: Impact of Patient Sex and Life Expectancy on Treatment Choice

In adults with severe aortic stenosis, sex and age differences in symptoms and diagnosis may lead to delays in intervention. Choice of intervention partly depends on expected longevity because bioprosthetic valves have limited durability, particularly in younger patients. Current guidelines recommend the following: a mechanical valve in younger adults (aged <50 years) if lifelong anticoagulation is possible and acceptable and a valve-sparing procedure is not possible; surgical mechanical or bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in adults aged 50-65 years; and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for those aged >80 years based on lower mortality and morbidity compared to SAVR and adequate valve durability. For patients aged 65-80 years, the choice between TAVI and a bioprosthetic SAVR depends on expected longevity, which is greater in women than men, as well as associated cardiac and noncardiac conditions, valvular and vascular anatomy, estimated risk of SAVR versus TAVI and expected complications and patient preferences.

Multimodality Imaging in Valvular Structural Interventions

Structural valvular interventions have skyrocketed in the past decade with new devices becoming available and indications for patients who would previously have been deemed inoperable. Furthermore, while echocardiography is the main imaging tool and the first line for patient screening, cardiac magnetic resonance and CT are now essential tools in pre-planning and post-procedural follow-up. This review aims to address imaging modalities and their scope in aortic, mitral and tricuspid structural valvular interventions, including multimodality imaging. Pulmonary valve procedures, which are mostly carried out in patients with congenital problems, are discussed. This article presents a guide on individualised imaging approcahes on each of the available interventional procedures.

Multimodality Cardiac Imaging for Procedural Planning and Guidance of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement and Mitral Paravalvular Leak Closure

Transcatheter mitral valve interventions are an evolving and growing field in which multimodality cardiac imaging is essential for diagnosis, procedural planning, and intraprocedural guidance. Currently, transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve with a balloon-expandable valve is the only form of transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) approved by the FDA, but valve-in-ring and valve-in-mitral annular calcification interventions are increasingly being performed. Additionally, there are several devices under investigation for implantation in a native annulus. Paravalvular leak (PVL) is a known complication of surgical or transcatheter valve implantation, where regurgitant flow occurs between the prosthetic sewing ring and the native mitral annulus. We sought to describe the role and applications of multimodality cardiac imaging for TMVR, and PVL closure, including the use of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography Angiography and 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography for diagnosis, prosthetic valve evaluation, pre-procedural planning, and intraprocedural guidance, as well as evolving technologies such as fusion imaging and 3D printing.