Bicuspid Aortic Valves and Transcatheter Valve Replacement: Feasibility and Safety

In the last few years, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has rapidly become the standard of care for severe symptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). If initially it was preferred only for high-risk surgical patients, now even low-risk patients are eligible candidates. There were several factors to consider why patients with bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs) were omitted from these trials. However, it should be noted that bicuspid AS is not unusual among patients who experience transcatheter valve implantation. The TAVR procedure in BAV is a reliable and safe treatment option for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) but it is associated with an elevated incidence of paravalvular regurgitation (PVR) and the likelihood of implanting a permanent pacemaker. Bicuspid valves do not appear to be a contraindication to TAVI according to current data, but further specific clinical trials will be required to confirm this conclusion.