Post-Procedural Troponin Elevation and Clinical Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

BACKGROUND Biomarkers of myocardial injury increase frequently during transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The impact of postprocedural cardiac troponin (cTn) elevation on short-term outcomes remains controversial, and the association with long-term prognosis is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We evaluated 577 consecutive patients with severe aortic stenosis treated with TAVI between 2007 and 2012. Myocardial injury, defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-2 as post-TAVI cardiac troponin T (cTnT) >15× the upper limit of normal, occurred in 338 patients (58.1%). In multivariate analyses, myocardial injury was associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality at 30 days (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 8.77; 95% CI, 2.07-37.12; P=0.003) and remained a significant predictor at 2 years (adjusted HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.36-2.88; P<0.001). Higher cTnT cutoffs did not add incremental predictive value compared with the VARC-2-defined cutoff. Whereas myocardial injury occurred more frequently in patients with versus without coronary artery disease (CAD), the relative impact of cTnT elevation on 2-year mortality did not differ between patients without CAD (adjusted HR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.27-5.26; P=0.009) and those with CAD (adjusted HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.10-2.65; P=0.018; P for interaction=0.24). Mortality rates at 2 years were lowest in patients without CAD and no myocardial injury (11.6%) and highest in patients with complex CAD (SYNTAX score >22) and myocardial injury (41.1%). CONCLUSIONS VARC-2-defined cTnT elevation emerged as a strong, independent predictor of 30-day mortality and remained a modest, but significant, predictor throughout 2 years post-TAVI. The prognostic value of cTnT elevation was modified by the presence and complexity of underlying CAD with highest mortality risk observed in patients combining SYNTAX score >22 and evidence of myocardial injury.

Detection of significant coronary artery disease by noninvasive anatomical and functional imaging.

BACKGROUND The choice of imaging techniques in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) varies between countries, regions, and hospitals. This prospective, multicenter, comparative effectiveness study was designed to assess the relative accuracy of commonly used imaging techniques for identifying patients with significant CAD. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 475 patients with stable chest pain and intermediate likelihood of CAD underwent coronary computed tomographic angiography and stress myocardial perfusion imaging by single photon emission computed tomography or positron emission tomography, and ventricular wall motion imaging by stress echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance. If ≥1 test was abnormal, patients underwent invasive coronary angiography. Significant CAD was defined by invasive coronary angiography as >50% stenosis of the left main stem, >70% stenosis in a major coronary vessel, or 30% to 70% stenosis with fractional flow reserve ≤0.8. Significant CAD was present in 29% of patients. In a patient-based analysis, coronary computed tomographic angiography had the highest diagnostic accuracy, the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve being 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-0.94), sensitivity being 91%, and specificity being 92%. Myocardial perfusion imaging had good diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve, 0.74; confidence interval, 0.69-0.78), sensitivity 74%, and specificity 73%. Wall motion imaging had similar accuracy (area under the curve, 0.70; confidence interval, 0.65-0.75) but lower sensitivity (49%, P<0.001) and higher specificity (92%, P<0.001). The diagnostic accuracy of myocardial perfusion imaging and wall motion imaging were lower than that of coronary computed tomographic angiography (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS In a multicenter European population of patients with stable chest pain and low prevalence of CAD, coronary computed tomographic angiography is more accurate than noninvasive functional testing for detecting significant CAD defined invasively. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00979199.

Long-term results of endoscopic third ventriculostomy: an outcome analysis.

OBJECT Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is the procedure of choice in the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus. The excellent clinical and radiological success rates are well known. Nevertheless, very few papers have addressed the very long term outcomes of the procedure in very large series. The authors present a large case series of 113 patients who underwent 126 ETVs, and they highlight the initial postoperative outcome after 3 months and long-term follow-up with an average of 7 years. METHODS All patients who underwent ETV at the Department of Neurosurgery, Mainz University Hospital, between 1993 and 1999 were evaluated. Obstructive hydrocephalus was the causative pathology in all cases. RESULTS The initial clinical success rate was 82% and decreased slightly to 78% during long-term follow-up. Long-term success was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Overall, ETV failed in 31 patients. These patients underwent a second ETV or shunt treatment. A positive impact on long-term success was seen for age older than 6 months, and for obstruction due to cysts or benign aqueductal stenosis. The complication rate was 9% with 5 intraoperative and 5 postoperative events. CONCLUSIONS The high clinical success rate in short-term and long-term follow-up confirms ETV's status as the gold standard for the treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus, especially for distinct pathologies. The patient's age and underlying pathology may influence the outcome. These factors should be considered carefully preoperatively by the surgeon.

Long-Term Clinical and Imaging Follow-Up After Reinforced Pulmonary Autograft Ross Procedure.

The Ross operation remains a controversially discussed procedure when performed in the full root technique because concern exists regarding late dilatation of the pulmonary autograft and regurgitation of the neo-aortic valve. In 2008, we published our short-term experience when using external reinforcement of the autograft, which was inserted into a prosthetic Dacron graft. This detail was thought to prevent neoaortic root dilatation. Since 2006, 22 adult patients have undergone a Ross procedure using this technique. Indications were aortic regurgitation (n = 2), aortic stenosis (n = 15), and combined aortic stenosis and insufficiency (n = 5). A bicuspid aortic valve was present in 10 patients. Prior balloon valvuloplasty had been performed in seven patients. No early or late deaths occurred in this small series. One patient required aortic valve replacement early postoperatively, but freedom from late reoperation is 100% in the 21 remaining patients. Echocardiography confirmed the absence of more than trivial aortic insufficiency in 15 patients after a mean of 70 months (range, 14 to 108 months). No autograft dilatation was observed during follow-up and all patients are in New York Heart Association Class I. Autograft reinforcement is a simple and reproducible technical adjunct that may be especially useful in situations known for late autograft dilatation, namely, bicuspid aortic valve, predominant aortic insufficiency, and ascending aortic enlargement. The mid- to long-term results are encouraging because no late aortic root enlargement has been observed and the autograft valve is well functioning in all cases.

The sutureless aortic valve at 1 year: A large multicenter cohort study

OBJECTIVE Sutureless aortic valve replacement (AVR) offers an alternative to standard AVR in aortic stenosis. This prospective, single-arm study aimed to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of a bovine pericardial sutureless aortic valve at 1 year. METHODS From February 2010 to September 2013, 658 patients (mean age 78.3 ± 5.6 years; 40.0% octogenarian; 64.4% female; mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 7.2 ± 7.4) underwent sutureless AVR in 25 European centers. Concomitant cardiac procedures were performed in 29.5% and minimally invasive cardiac surgery in 33.3%. RESULTS One-year site-reported event rates were 8.1% for all-cause mortality, 4.5% for cardiac mortality, 3.0% for stroke, 1.9% for valve-related reoperation, 1.4% for endocarditis, and 0.6% for major paravalvular leak. No valve thrombosis, migration, or structural valve deterioration occurred. New York Heart Association class improved at least 1 level in 77.5% and remained stable (70.4% New York Heart Association class I or II at 1 year). Mean effective orifice area was 1.5 ± 0.4 cm(2); pressure gradient was 9.2 ± 5.0 mm Hg. Left ventricular mass decreased from 138.5 g/m(2) before surgery to 115.3 g/m(2) at 1 year (P < .001). Echocardiographic core laboratory findings confirmed that paravalvular leak was rare and remained stable during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The Perceval sutureless valve resulted in low 1-year event rates in intermediate-risk patients undergoing AVR. New York Heart Association class improved in more than three-quarters of patients and remained stable. These data support the safety and efficacy to 1 year of the Perceval sutureless valve in this intermediate-risk population.

Posterior circulation cerebrovascular syndromes: diagnosis and management.

One in five strokes affects the posterior circulation. Diagnosing posterior circulation stroke can be challenging, as the vascular anatomy can be variable, and because presenting symptoms are often non-specific and fluctuating. Nevertheless, making the correct diagnosis is important, as these strokes have a high chance of recurrence, can be life threatening, and can lead to equally life-threatening complications. Investigation and management largely follow those for stroke in general, although some specific differences exist. These include the preferred use of MRI for diagnosing posterior fossa lesions, the management of basilar artery thrombosis, which may have a longer time window for recanalisation therapy, and the use of endovascular therapies for secondary prevention, which, so far, have not shown any benefit in the treatment of vertebral or basilar artery stenosis. In this review, we summarise the anatomy, aetiology and presentation of posterior circulation stroke, and discuss current approaches to management.