Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Versus Transthoracic Echocardiography for Prediction of Outcomes in Chronic Aortic or Mitral Regurgitation.

In subjects with aortic regurgitation (AR) or mitral regurgitation (MR), transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is recommended for surveillance. Few prospective studies have directly compared the ability of TTE and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) to predict clinical outcomes in AR and MR. We hypothesized that, given its higher reproducibility, CMR would predict the need for valve surgery or heart failure (HF) hospitalization better than TTE.

Prognosis after surgical replacement with a bioprosthetic aortic valve in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis: systematic review of observational studies.

Objective:  To determine the frequency of survival, stroke, atrial fibrillation, structural valve deterioration, and length of hospital stay after surgical replacement of an aortic valve (SAVR) with a bioprosthetic valve in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis.

Design:  Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Data Sources:  Medline, Embase, PubMed (non-Medline records only), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Cochrane CENTRAL from 2002 to June 2016.