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Gać P, Jaworski A, Grajnert F, Kicman K, Trejtowicz-Sutor A, Witkowski K, Poręba M, Poręba R. Aortic Valve Calcium Score: Applications in Clinical Practice and Scientific Research-A Narrative Review. J Clin Med 2024; 13:4064. [PMID: 39064103 PMCID: PMC11277735 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13144064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2024] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this narrative review, we investigate the essential role played by the computed tomography Aortic Valve Calcium Score (AVCS) in the cardiovascular diagnostic landscape, with a special focus on its implications for clinical practice and scientific research. Calcific aortic valve stenosis is the most prevalent type of aortic stenosis (AS) in industrialized countries, and due to the aging population, its prevalence is increasing. While transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) remains the gold standard, AVCS stands out as an essential complementary tool in evaluating patients with AS. The advantage of AVCS is its independence from flow; this allows for a more precise evaluation of patients with discordant findings in TTE. Further clinical applications of AVCS include in the assessment of patients before transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), as it helps in predicting outcomes and provides prognostic information post-TAVR. Additionally, we describe different AVCS thresholds regarding gender and the anatomical variations of the aortic valve. Finally, we discuss various scientific studies where AVCS was applied. As AVCS has some limitations, due to the pathophysiologies of AS extending beyond calcification and gender differences, scientists strive to validate contrast-enhanced AVCS. Furthermore, research on developing radiation-free methods of measuring calcium content is ongoing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Gać
- Centre of Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Rudolfa Weigla 5, 50-981 Wrocław, Poland; (P.G.); (A.T.-S.); (K.W.)
- Department of Population Health, Division of Environmental Health and Occupational Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, J. Mikulicza-Radeckiego 7, 50-345 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Jaworski
- Healthcare Team “County Hospital” in Sochaczew, Batalionow Chlopskich 3/7, 96-500 Sochaczew, Poland
| | - Filip Grajnert
- 4th Military Hospital, Rudolfa Weigla 5, 50-981 Wrocław, Poland;
| | - Katarzyna Kicman
- Healthcare Team “County Hospital” in Sochaczew, Batalionow Chlopskich 3/7, 96-500 Sochaczew, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Trejtowicz-Sutor
- Centre of Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Rudolfa Weigla 5, 50-981 Wrocław, Poland; (P.G.); (A.T.-S.); (K.W.)
| | - Konrad Witkowski
- Centre of Diagnostic Imaging, 4th Military Hospital, Rudolfa Weigla 5, 50-981 Wrocław, Poland; (P.G.); (A.T.-S.); (K.W.)
| | - Małgorzata Poręba
- Department of Paralympic Sports, Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences, Witelona 25a, 51-617 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Rafał Poręba
- Department of Internal and Occupational Diseases, Hypertension and Clinical Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, Borowska 213, 50-556 Wrocław, Poland;
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Brunner S, Moccetti F, Loretz L, Conrad N, Bossard M, Attinger-Toller A, Kurmann R, Cuculi F, Wolfrum M, Toggweiler S. The impact of elevated C-reactive protein levels on long-term outcomes of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement. CARDIOVASCULAR REVASCULARIZATION MEDICINE 2024:S1553-8389(24)00579-7. [PMID: 38987046 DOI: 10.1016/j.carrev.2024.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), elevated pre-procedural C-reactive protein (CRP) levels are frequently observed. Its impact on long-term results of TAVR is unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate the long-term (up to six years) clinical outcomes of TAVR patients with normal compared to elevated CRP levels before TAVR. METHODS Consecutive patients undergoing TAVR between August 2012 and January 2023 at a tertiary cardiology facility were included. Patients were divided into two cohorts based on the baseline CRP levels: normal CRP (≤ 5 mg/l) and elevated CRP (>5 mg/l). The cohorts were followed clinically for up to six years after TAVR. RESULTS From a total of 1000 TAVR patients (mean age 81 ± 6 years), 268 patients (27 %) were found to have elevated baseline CRP (>5 mg/l). Such patients had significantly more co-morbidities (e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, concomitant valvopathies). They also developed periprocedural infections more frequently (3 % vs. 1 %, p = 0.007) and required more commonly repeat hospitalizations for infections during follow-up (HR 1.97, CI 1.47-2.64, p < 0.001). All-cause mortality and development of valve dysfunction did not significantly differ between patients with elevated and normal baseline CRP levels. CONCLUSION Albeit long-term results of TAVR patients with elevated pre-procedural CRP levels seem favorable in terms of survival and development of valve dysfunction, they have an increased risk for periprocedural infections and re-admissions due to infections of any type during the follow-up period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Brunner
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Federico Moccetti
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Lucca Loretz
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Nina Conrad
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias Bossard
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Adrian Attinger-Toller
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Reto Kurmann
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Florim Cuculi
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Mathias Wolfrum
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Toggweiler
- From the Heart Center Lucerne, Cardiology Division, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland.
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Sarkar A, Chowdhury S, Kumar A, Khan B, Chowdhury S, Gupta R, Hajra A, Aronow WS. Biomarkers as Prognostic Markers for Aortic Stenosis: A Review. Am J Cardiol 2023; 206:53-59. [PMID: 37683577 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most frequent valvular heart disease among the older individuals. Current guidelines indicate intervention for patients with symptomatic or fast progressive severe AS and asymptomatic patients with a reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction by 50%. Interestingly, myocardial damage may have already happened by the time symptoms appear or LV function deteriorates. Serum biomarkers can be an early indicator to show LV function decline and AS progression even before clinical symptom onset. Studies have shown that cardiac biomarkers have prognostic value in patients with AS. Hence, cardiac biomarkers can be helpful in determining the optimum time to intervene. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement is a less invasive alternative to conventional surgical aortic valve replacement. The elevation of cardiac biomarkers at discharge has been associated with 2-year mortality after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The correlation between biomarkers and AS-associated morbidity and mortality is an area to explore further. The authors of this review article have discussed the role of cardiac biomarkers in patients with AS for better risk stratification and identification of patients who would benefit from early intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankit Sarkar
- Ruby General Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
| | | | | | - Baseer Khan
- Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | | | - Rahul Gupta
- Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Wilbert S Aronow
- New York Medical College at Westchester Medical Center, New York
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Avci Y, Demir AR, Duran M, Bulut U, Demirci G, Uygur B, Tasbulak O, Doğan AC, Celik O, Erturk M. The prognostic value of C-reactive protein to albumin ratio in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Acta Cardiol 2022; 77:930-936. [PMID: 36196990 DOI: 10.1080/00015385.2022.2119658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a less invasive and safe therapeutic alternative in patients who are at very high surgical risk or in whom there are contraindications to open surgery. On the other hand, allocating transcatheter therapy to the adequate candidates and identifying a reliable and validated risk stratification tool for mortality prediction is still lacking. The C-reactive (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) is a novel inflammation-based prognostic tool and it is strongly associated with inflammation severity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the predictive significance of CAR for mortality in patients who underwent TAVI. METHODS The records of 321 consecutive patients who underwent TAVI due to symptomatic aortic stenosis between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2020 were analysed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the CAR values. For each group, all-cause, cardiovascular, and non-cardiovascular mortality occurring >72 h after the index procedure and at maximum follow-up was documented. RESULTS The mean follow-up time was 40 (22-63) months. A total of 180 (56.1%) patients died during long-term follow-up. According to our study, median CAR values were significantly higher among patients who died during follow-ups compared to survivors [1.13 (0.69-2.21) vs 3.56 (1.53-10.00), p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION Our data showed that CAR is an independent predictor of long-term mortality in patients undergoing TAVI due to symptomatic aortic stenosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalcin Avci
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ali Riza Demir
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mustafa Duran
- Department of Cardiology, Konya City Hospital, Konya, Turkey
| | - Umit Bulut
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gökhan Demirci
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Begum Uygur
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Omer Tasbulak
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Arda Can Doğan
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Omer Celik
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Erturk
- Mehmet Akif Ersoy Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Training and Research Hospital, Department of Cardiology, University of Health Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
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Yarahmadi P, Kabiri A, Forouzannia SM, Yousefifard M. Statins and Mortality of Patients After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Angiology 2022:33197221124778. [PMID: 36067358 DOI: 10.1177/00033197221124778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
While TAVI is widely used, optimal medical therapy to reduce the mortality rate after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is still unclear. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of statins on mortality following TAVI. Present systematic review of the literature was performed using Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science; all studies reported all-cause mortality in patients who underwent TAVI and received or did not receive statin therapy. Data were analyzed using random-effects models. Seventeen articles (21 380 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Statin therapy was associated with a reduction of all-cause mortality (Hazard ratio [HR] = .78, 95% Confidence interval [CI] .68-.89, P < .001). Moderate between-study heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 45.2). High-intensity statin therapy was more effective than low or moderate intensity statin therapy in reduction of all-cause mortality (Risk ratio [RR] = .62, 95% CI 0.45-.85, P = .003, I2 = .0). Statin therapy could reduce the mid-term all-cause mortality rate following TAVI. However, all included studies were observational and, therefore, randomized controlled trials are still needed to assess the effect of statin therapy on mortality after TAVI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pourya Yarahmadi
- School of Medicine, 48504Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Kabiri
- School of Medicine, 440827Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Mahmoud Yousefifard
- Physiology Research Center, 440827Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro H M C de Melo
- Departamento de Cardiologia Intervencionista - Hospital Sírio Libanês, São Paulo, SP - Brasil
| | - Rodrigo Modolo
- Departamento de Clínica Médica - Divisão de Cardiologia - Faculdade de Ciências Médicas - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, SP - Brasil
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