Clin Res Cardiol. 2026 Mar 30. doi: 10.1007/s00392-026-02881-y. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
AIMS: To investigate clinical outcomes and cardiac remodeling according to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) of the invasively measured different flow/gradient entities of severe aortic stenosis (AS) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
METHODS AND RESULTS: All consecutive patients with preserved EF and severe AS undergoing right heart catheterization and treated with TAVI between 2007 and 2017 were split into four groups: normal-flow high-gradient (NF-HG n = 113, 25.9%); low-flow high-gradient (LF-HG n = 190, 43.6%); normal-flow low-gradient (NF-LG n = 50, 11.5%); and low-flow low-gradient (LF-LG n = 83, 19%). Patients with LF were older (81.9 ± 6 vs. 80.1 ± 6, p = 0.004); had a higher rate of atrial fibrillation (45.8% vs. 27.6%, p < 0.001); and had a higher EuroScore (p = 0.002). Significant improvement of functional status was noted in all four subgroups. However, the benefit at 30 days was more pronounced in HG patients. In CMR, at 6 months, we observed a significant regression of LV mass in NF-HG, LF-HG, and LF-LG but not in NF-LG patients. Patients with HG AS showed a lower rate of all-cause mortality at 5 years follow-up compared to LG AS (42.3% vs. 58%; p = 0.024). No difference in long-term mortality was observed between LF and NF AS (43.6% vs. 50%, p = 0.87).
CONCLUSION: In patients with severe AS and preserved EF, patients with all invasively measured flow-gradient entities improved functionally after TAVI. High-gradient AS-regardless of the flow status-showed the most pronounced LV mass regression at 6-month CMR follow-up, had the best clinical improvement, and the lowest 5-year all-cause mortality after TAVI.
PMID:41910774 | DOI:10.1007/s00392-026-02881-y