Computed tomography defined femoral artery plaque composition predicts vascular complications during transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Objective: Vascular and bleeding complications after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are common and lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Analysis of plaque at the arterial access site may improve prediction of complications.

Methods: We investigated the association between demographic and procedural risk factors for Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC-3) vascular complications in patients undergoing transfemoral TAVI with use of a vascular closure device (ProGlide or MANTA) in this retrospective cohort study. The ability of pre-procedure femoral CT angiography to predict complications was investigated including a novel method of quantifying plaque composition of the common femoral artery using plaque maps created with patient specific X-ray attenuation cut-offs.

Results: 23 vascular complications occurred in the 299 patients in the study group (7.7%). There were no demographic risk factors associated with vascular complications and no statistical difference between use of closure device (ProGlide MANTA) and vascular complications. Vascular complications after TAVI were associated with sheath size (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.08-1.76, 0.01) and strongly associated with CT-derived necrotic core volume in the common femoral artery of the procedural side (OR 17.49, 95% CI 1.21-226.60, 0.03).

Conclusion: Plaque map analysis of the common femoral artery by CT angiography reveals patients with greater necrotic core are at increased risk of VARC-3 vascular complications.

Advances In Knowledge: The novel measurement of necrotic core volume in the common femoral artery on the procedural side by CT analysis was associated with post-TAVI vascular complications, which can be used to highlight increased risk.