Transcatheter aortic valve repair, imaging, and electronic imaging health record

Degenerative aortic stenosis (AS) is a common valvular pathology in developed nations. Secondary to advanced age and often multiple co-morbidities, a significant percentage of patients are not considered surgical candidates. For these high-risk patients, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a rapidly emerging less-invasive treatment alternative. Because of the lack of direct exposure and visualization of the operative field, pre-procedural planning and intra-procedural guidance relies on imaging. Large 3-dimensional data files are acquired, which are reconstructed on advanced workstations during review and interpretation. Optimally, the imaging data is organized into a comprehensive digital file as an integral part of the electronic health record (EHR) following the patient. This manuscript will discuss the role of image data management in the context of TAVR.