Impact of left ventricular outflow tract calcification in patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve implantation

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) calcification is known to be associated with adverse outcomes after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients receiving first-generation transcatheter heart valves (THV).

AIMS: The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of LVOT calcification as well as its impact on outcomes in a contemporary TAVI patient cohort.

METHODS: This retrospective single-centre analysis includes 1,207 patients who underwent transfemoral TAVI between 2012 and 2018 and in whom adequate contrast-enhanced multislice computed tomgraphy (MSCT) imaging for quantification of LVOT calcification was available.

RESULTS: Significant LVOT calcification, defined as >10 mm3, was present in 37.4% (n=451) of the patient cohort. After applying propensity score matching there was no difference between patients without (w/o; n=358) and with (w; n=358) significant LVOT calcification with respect to baseline clinical characteristics. At 30 days, the composite of all-cause mortality and non-disabling/disabling stroke occurred more often in patients w LVOT calcification compared to those w/o (4.6 vs 10.1%, p=0.008). Moreover, the composite VARC-3 endpoint of device success at 30 days was in favour of patients w/o LVOT calcification (82.2% vs 73.4%, p=0.007). According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, all-cause mortality one year after TAVI was higher in patients w vs w/o LVOT calcification (12.9 vs 21.4 %, p=0.004).

CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing TAVI, the presence of significant LVOT calcification is common and associated with worse short-term clinical and functional outcomes as well as higher one-year mortality rates compared to patients w/o LVOT calcification.