Feasibility of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Patients With Very Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Very severe aortic stenosis (AS) has a poor prognosis even in asymptomatic patients, and asymptomatic very severe AS is a Class IIa indication for aortic valve replacement, although the safety and effectiveness of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for very severe AS is not well-established. This study included 366 patients undergoing TAVI at a single center, with 85 and 281 patients in the very severe AS (peak velocity ≥5 m/s or mean pressure gradient (PG) ≥60 mmHg) and severe AS groups, respectively. Procedural and clinical outcomes at 1-year follow-up were compared between groups.

Additive value of the right parasternal view for the assessment of aortic stenosis.

Background: Although Doppler evaluation using a multiplanar method is recommended to assess the severity of aortic stenosis (AS) with transthoracic echocardiography, evidence on the diagnostic significance of a non-apical method is limited. This study aimed to compare the use of the apical with the use of the right parasternal view (RPV) method to evaluate AS severity and to examine the diagnostic significance of performing the RPV method in addition to the apical method during the evaluation.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included 276 consecutive patients (mean age: 79 ± 10 years; women, 56%) with severe AS (aortic valve area [AVA] ≤1.