Timing of bioprosthetic valve fracture in transcatheter valve-in-valve intervention: impact on valve durability and leaflet integrity.

Background: Bioprosthetic valve fracture (BVF) can be used to improve transcatheter heart valve (THV) haemodynamics following a valve-in-valve (ViV) intervention. However, whether BVF should be performed before or after THV deployment and the implications on durability are unknown.  Aims: We sought to assess the impact of BVF timing on long-term THV durability.

Microcalcification and Thoracic Aortopathy: A Window Into Disease Severity.

Background: Patients with thoracic aortopathy are at increased risk of catastrophic aortic dissection, carrying with it substantial mortality and morbidity. Although granular medial calcinosis (medial microcalcification) has been associated with thoracic aortopathy, its relationship to disease severity has yet to be established.

Methods: One hundred one thoracic aortic specimens were collected from 57 patients with thoracic aortopathy and 18 control subjects.

Evaluation of an Explanted Tiara Transcatheter Mitral Valve.

Post-explant (ex vivo) evaluation of medical devices is an essential part of quality assurance, quality improvement, and further device development. Central to this is detailed pathological analysis. Here, we provide the first such evaluation of an explanted Tiara transcatheter mitral valve prosthesis.