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Background: Paravalvular leak (PVL) is one of the most common complications of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and affects short- and long-term outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify the computed tomography (CT) imaging biomarkers that allow PVL after TAVR to be predicted.
Methods: Patients were included who had severe aortic valve stenosis, had undergone TAVR with a self-expanding valve, and had undergone a pre-procedural CT scan. Data on baseline characteristics, procedural and long-term outcomes were collected retrospectively. We used MATLAB software with a self-developed algorithm for CT scan analysis and found parameters that quantified aortic valve calcifications (AVC) in detail.
Results: Fifty patients were included. The identified CT-derived parameters included AVC size, volume, thickness and density, as well as calcium radial distribution. The volume of the largest calcium block, calcium perimeter and calcium size (assessed by Feret's diameter) showed a strong association with PVL occurrence after TAVR (P=0.012, P=0.001 and P=0.045, respectively). The prognostic model showed that a 10 mm increase in the local AVC amount in each valve section was associated with a 9.8% (95% CI: 2-18%; P=0.019) increase in the risk of PVL occurrence in the corresponding area after TAVR. ROC analysis revealed that the cut-off point of the AVC area was 96.5 mm in the polar coordinate system presentation. Kaplan-Meier curves showed worse PVL-free survival in patients with more than 96.5 mm of calcium area (P=0.013; log-rank).
Conclusions: Quantitative AVC assessment for PVL prediction may play an important role in screening before TAVR. In future, the use of quantitative AVC assessment as an imaging biomarker in TAVR candidates and the creation and extension of an online database containing quantitative AVC parameters may help to identify high PVL risk patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.21037/qims-20-669 | DOI Listing |
J Pediatr Surg
September 2025
University of Utah, Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery. Electronic address:
Background: Routine preoperative echocardiograms (ECHOs) are frequently obtained in patients undergoing minimally invasive repair of pectus excavatum (MIRPE), but the benefit and necessity of preoperative screening remain debated. In this study, we sought to quantify the proportion of preoperative ECHOs that had clinically significant findings.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 255 patients who underwent MIRPE at a single pediatric referral center from 2018 to 2023.
J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg
September 2025
Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada.
Objective: Societal guidelines recommend vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for atrial fibrillation patients with recent biological valve implantation, but the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in this setting remain uncertain, especially in the early postoperative period. This substudy of the Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Study (LAAOS) III trial aimed to compare thromboembolic and bleeding outcomes in patients discharged on VKAs versus DOACs after bioprosthesis implantation or mitral valve repair.
Methods: A total of 2,645 patients were included, with 461 discharged on DOACs and 2184 on VKAs.
Prog Cardiovasc Dis
September 2025
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA. Electronic address:
Objectives: This study explores the impact of lower baseline aortic valve (AV) mean gradients on the clinical outcomes of patients with low-gradient aortic stenosis (LG AS) post-transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Additionally, the study aims to understand the predictors of a lower baseline AV mean gradient (MG).
Background: Reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and low-flow states are known to correlate with worse clinical outcomes.
Comput Biol Med
September 2025
Electrical and Computer System Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, 3800, VIC, Australia.
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common type of birth defect, impacting about 1% of live births worldwide. Echocardiography, the gold-standard diagnostic method, is costly and inaccessible in low-resource settings. Diagnosis is delayed due to limited skilled experts, whose ability to interpret pathological patterns varies significantly, causing inter- and intra-clinician variability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArq Bras Cardiol
September 2025
Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA - Brasil.
Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with a higher prevalence of valvular diseases and increased mortality from cardiovascular causes. Factors that influence the genesis of cardiac valve calcification (CVC) in these patients are not well-defined.
Objective: To determine the risk factors for valvular calcification in patients with CKD.