Temporal Change in Paravalvular Leakage after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement with a Self-Expanding Valve: Impact of Aortic Valve Calcification.

Background: In patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the severity of paravalvular leakage (PVL) may change during follow-up, however its mechanism is poorly understood. We aimed to explore temporal changes in PVL and possible predictors following TAVR. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of all patients who had received a self-expanding valve. Multi-detector computed tomography was performed as pre-TAVR evaluation, including assessment of aortic valve calcification (AVC). The patients received transthoracic echocardiography at baseline and 30 days, 6 months, and 1 year after TAVR. Results: In total, 93 patients who had received a self-expanding valve during TAVR were identified. Various degrees of PVL were seen in 63 patients, with moderate/severe PVL in 21 (22.6%). In multivariate analysis, the predictors of moderate/severe PVL were: chronic pulmonary disease, high degree of AVC, and an increased annulus perimeter. After 1 year of follow-up, PVL deteriorated from mild to moderate in 2 patients, while an improvement of >/= 1 grade was seen in 25 patients. Of 21 patients with post-TAVR moderate/severe PVL, 9 had an improvement of >/= 1 grade and 12 did not. The degree of AVC was significantly lower in those with PVL improvement (Agatston score 3068 +/- 1816 vs. 6418 +/- 3222; p = 0.01). AVC was a good predictor for an improvement in PVL, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.82 (95% confidence interval = 0.63-1.00, p = 0.01), with a cut-off value of 5210. Conclusions: In this study, 43% (9/21) of the patients with moderate/severe PVL after self-expanding TAVR had an improvement of >/= 1 grade within 1 year, and a low degree of AVC was predictive of this improvement.