Individualized treatment strategies for patients with aortic valve disease and porcelain aorta

Choosing transcatheter aortic valve replacement in porcelain aorta: outcomes versus surgical replacement

OBJECTIVES

Porcelain aorta complicates aortic valve replacement and is an indication for transcatheter approaches. No study has compared surgical and transcatheter valve replacement in the setting of porcelain aorta. We characterize porcelain aorta patients undergoing aortic valve replacement and the association of aortic calcification and outcomes.

METHODS

Patients undergoing aortic valve replacement with porcelain aorta were identified. Aortic calcium volume was determined using 3D computed tomography thresholding techniques. Propensity scoring was performed to assess the effect of surgical versus transcatheter approaches. Risk factors for composite major hospital complications (death, stroke and dialysis) were identified using random forest machine learning.

RESULTS

From January 2006 to January 2015, 164 patients with porcelain aorta underwent aortic valve replacement [105 (64%) surgical replacement, 59 (36%) transcatheter replacement]. Propensity scoring matched 29 pairs (49% of transcatheter patients). Before matching, 5-year survival was 41% [(43% surgical, 35% transcatheter, P(log-rank) = 0.9]. After matching, mortality for surgical versus transcatheter replacement was 3.4% (n = 1) vs 10% (n = 3), stroke 14% (n = 4) vs 3.4% (n = 1) and dialysis 6.9% (n = 2) versus 11% (n = 3). Matched 5-year survival was 40% after surgical replacement and 29% after transcatheter replacement [P(log-rank) = 0.4]. Total aortic calcium volume was greater in transcatheter than surgical patients [18 (8.0) vs 17 (7.7) ml] and was associated with more major hospital complications after either approach.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical and transcatheter approaches are complementary options for aortic stenosis with porcelain aorta. Surgical valve replacement remains an effective treatment for patients requiring concomitant procedures. Quantifying aortic calcium volume is a helpful risk predictor in all patients with porcelain aorta.

Simultaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantation and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting for Takayasu arteritis

We report a patient who underwent simultaneous transcatheter aortic valve implantation and off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting for Takayasu arteritis with diffuse porcelain aorta. The patient was a 59-year-old female with severe aortic stenosis and regurgitation, as well as both coronary ostial stenosis and porcelain aorta. Bilateral internal thoracic arteries were unavailable due to Takayasu arteritis. Therefore, composite radial artery with in-situ gastroepiploic artery was used as graft material. Radial artery was anastomosed to left anterior descending artery and posterior descending artery sequentially. Surgical procedures were successfully accomplished and major perioperative complications did not occur. <Learning objective: Takayasu arteritis is a rare disease with vasculitis of aorta and its main branches. In addition, it is associated with a low incidence of coronary ostial stenosis and coronary ischemia can be fatal. Porcelain aorta with aortic valve lesion also complicates with Takayasu arteritis and it makes difficult to perform cardiac surgery. The optimal surgical strategy and process for those who combined with coronary ostial stenosis, aortic valve lesion and porcelain aorta remains a subject of debate.>.

The shift of macrophages toward M1 phenotype promotes aortic valvular calcification

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study was to comprehensively compare the phenotype profile of infiltrated macrophages in human noncalcified and calcific aortic valves, and to determine whether the shift of macrophage polarization modulates valvular calcification in vitro.

METHODS

Cell surface markers of macrophages and inflammatory cytokines expression in 90 cases of human noncalcified and calcific aortic valve leaflets were analyzed. The normal aortic valve interstitial cells were isolated and cultured in vitro. After incubation with nonconditioned medium and conditioned medium from unstimulated or lipopolysaccharide-stimulated U937 monocytes, valve interstitial cells were evaluated by osteogenic differentiation markers.

RESULTS

Infiltration of macrophages was enhanced in the calcific aortic valves, and M1 phenotype was the predominant macrophage subsets. In addition, both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines were significantly upregulated in the calcific aortic valves. Furthermore, lipopolysaccharide-stimulated monocytes presented with increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and high proportional CD11c-positive (M1) macrophages. Conditioned medium from unstimulated monocytes promoted the osteogenic differentiation of valve interstitial cells in vitro, as evidenced by increased markers such as bone morphogenetic protein 2, osteopontin, and alkaline phosphatase. Conditioned medium from M1 macrophages further enhanced valve interstitial cells calcification. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that M1 phenotype macrophages secreted tumor necrosis factors α and interleukin 6, and neutralizing antibodies to these 2 proinflammatory cytokines attenuated induction of osteogenic differentiation and calcification by the conditioned media.

CONCLUSIONS

Both total numbers and polarization of macrophage influence the process of calcification in human aortic valve. The shift toward M1 phenotype might promote valve interstitial cell calcification.

Bilateral axillary artery cannulation for severely calcified aorta and branches: a case report

Background

Aortic valve surgery in patients with severely calcified aortas is technically challenging. Additionally, the choice of arterial cannulation site and whether to perform an aortic clamp to prevent neurological complications are poorly defined.

Case presentation

We describe a patient with a severely calcified aorta and stenosis of its side branches. He successfully underwent aortic valve replacement with bilateral axillary artery cannulation and short-term moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest for cross-clamping of a severely calcified aorta to prevent neurological complications.

Conclusions

Bilateral axillary artery cannulation and short-term moderate hypothermic circulatory arrest for cross-clamping of the porcelain aorta is a suitable option to prevent neurological complications in patients with a severely calcified aorta and stenosis of its side branches who need aortic valve replacement.