Transcatheter aortic valve implantation in small surgical aortic prosthesis for small body size patients

BackgroundValve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been confirmed as effective. Additionally, aortic annular enlargement has been advocated to avoid small valves at initial surgery, because they can cause patient-prosthesis mismatch, particularly after TAVI in surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). However, results remain unclear for TAVI with a small initial aortic valve in small body size patients. The purpose is to clarify the TAVI valve function after a small surgical valve in a small body population.MethodsWe retrospectively screened 52 cases of TAVI in SAVR performed from 2018 to 2024. Post-procedural TAVI valve function and post-procedural New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class were examined.ResultsOf 52 TAVI in SAVR cases, 16 cases had a 19 mm initial surgical aortic valve, and 19 cases had 21 mm. The mean age of these 35 cases was 83.1 years old and 20% were male. Mean body surface area was 1.39 cm². After TAVI in SAVR in 35 cases, the mean pressure gradient was 18.5 mmHg, and the effective orifice area (EOA) was 1.10 cm². Even after 19-mm SAVR, the mean pressure gradient was 13.4 mmHg, and EOA was 1.13 cm², excluding 3 cases of off-label use and 3 cases of balloon-expandable valves. At the time of last follow-up, 86.2% of survivors remained in NYHA I or II.ConclusionsSelf-expanding TAVI in a certain type of SAVR provided sufficient valve function in a population with small body size, even after small-sized initial surgical prostheses. Surgeons need to ensure that the proper type and size of surgical prosthesis are implanted.