Outcomes for patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement with ascending aorta dilation.

BACKGROUND: We aim to compare the short and long-term outcomes for aortic stenosis (AS) patients undergone TAVR with and without ascending aorta dilation (AAD).

METHODS: Consecutive patients diagnosed with native severe AS who underwent TAVR from September 2012 to September 2021 were enrolled. They were stratified into the moderate/severe dilation group (greatest ascending aorta width ≥ 45 mm) and the non/mild dilation group. Survival outcomes were illustrated using Kaplan-Meier curves and evaluated with the log-rank test. Data from patients with CT follow-up of >6 months was used to investigate the progression rate of AAD.

RESULTS: The study cohort comprised 556 patients, with a mean age of 75.52 ± 7.30 years. Among them, 107 patients (19.2%) had a moderate/severe AAD (≥45 mm), with an average diameter of 48.58 mm (±2.82). During hospitalization, both groups witnessed two cases of ascending aortic dissection (1.8% vs 0.5%, P = 0.380). The median follow-up duration was 3.92 years (95% CI: 3.79-4.04 years). No deaths were caused by aortic events and no patients experienced a new aortic dissection. The AAD cohort's 4-year all-cause and cardiovascular mortality rates were not significantly different to the non-dilation group's (log-rank test, P = 0.109 and P = 0.698, respectively). Follow-up CT data revealed that the rate of aortic dilation progression in the moderate/severe dilation group was not significantly different from that in the non/mild group (0.0 mm/year, 25-75%th: -0.3-0.2 vs 0.1 mm/year, 25-75%th: -0.3-0.4, P = 0.394).

CONCLUSION: This study found no significant difference regarding short-term and long-term outcomes in AS patients with/without moderate/severe AAD undergoing TAVR.