Successful transcatheter valve-in-valve implantation in a small deteriorated aortic valve bioprosthesis

Increased life expectancy and improvement in clinical outcome following surgery has led to an increasing number of elderly patients with a history of prior aortic valve replacement (AVR). As a consequence, a considerable number of patients may require reintervention due to a dysfunctional bioprosthesis with structural valve deterioration (SVD). Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an established surgical alternative in patients with aortic stenosis and severe comorbidities. For those patients requiring reoperation, the 'valve-in-valve' concept has been described. Here, the case is reported of a patient with a very small Sorin Soprano 18 bioprosthesis with SVD who underwent a reintervention with the transapical valve-in-valve technique. The implantation was uneventful, with no residual paravalvular leakage and a low mean transprosthetic gradient. The valve-in-valve procedure may represent a feasible alternative for redo AVR in patients with a very small, structurally deteriorated bioprosthesis.