Where Are We Now With TAV-in-TAV?

Degenerated Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Investigation and Management Options

With the expansion of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to younger and lower-surgical-risk patients, many younger and less comorbid patients will be treated with TAVR and are expected to have a life expectancy that will exceed the durability of their transcatheter heart valve. Consequently, the number of patients requiring reintervention will undoubtedly increase in the near future. Redo-TAVR and TAVR explantation followed by surgical aortic valve replacement are the different therapeutic options in the event of bioprosthetic valve failure and the need for reintervention. Patients often anticipate being able to benefit from a redo-TAVR in the event of bioprosthetic valve failure after TAVR, despite the lack of long-term data and the risk of unfavourable anatomy. Our understanding of the feasibility of redo-TAVR is constantly improving thanks to bench test studies and growing worldwide experience. However, much remains unknown. In clinical practice, one of the heart team's objectives is to anticipate the need to reaccess the coronary arteries and implant a second or even a third valve when life expectancy may exceed the durability of the transcatheter heart valve. In this review, we address key definitions in the diagnosis of structural valve deterioration and bioprosthetic valve failure, as well as patient selection and procedural planning for redo-TAVR to reduce periprocedural risk, optimise hemodynamic performance, and maintain coronary access. We describe the bench testing and literature in the redo-TAVR and TAVR explantation fields.

Two cases of sudden leaflet dehiscence after transcatheter aortic valve replacement

BACKGROUND

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has caused a paradigm shift in the treatment of severe aortic stenosis. Although less invasive and good early results of TAVR have been reported, the long-term durability of the transcatheter aortic valve is still unclear.

CASE PRESENTATION

We performed an emergent surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) for two cases of acute heart failure due to sudden transcatheter aortic valve dehiscence after 7 or 6 years of primary TAVR. In both cases, transthoracic echocardiography revealed severe transvalvular regurgitation of the transcatheter aortic valve. Intraoperative findings revealed dehiscence on both sides of the anatomical non-coronary cusp without evident signs of degeneration, such as thickening, calcification, or infection. The postoperative course of the cases was uneventful, and the patients were discharged home on days 20 and 48 after the reoperation.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the cause of the valvular disease is unknown, we are seriously concerned that the number of similar cases will increase in the future. We should be cautious in expanding the application of TAVR without evidence of long-term safety.