Graft-Free surgical retroperitoneal vascular access as bail-out technique for failed percutaneous approach to transcatheter aortic valve replacement

BackgroundSurgical retroperitoneal access to the iliac artery may provide an alternative route for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in patients with aortic stenosis and prohibitively small common femoral arteries.MethodsConsecutive patients undergoing TAVR via the femoral approach were divided into two groups; standard percutaneous access (n = 103) and surgical retroperitoneal access (n = 15) for patients in whom dilators could not be advanced without resistance. For retroperitoneal access, proximal groin vessels were exposed surgically and direct puncture was performed. The sheath was tunneled from the level of the initial inguinal puncture site in order to achieve coaxial entry of the sheath into the vessel.ResultsBaseline characteristics were similar in both groups. Procedural characteristics were insignificantly different between groups; although, procedure time was longer (34 min), while fluoroscopy time and contrast utilization were lower in the retroperitoneal access group. There was no outcome difference between groups.ConclusionsSurgical retroperitoneal access is a reasonable alternative for transcatheter aortic valve replacement in high-risk patients with aortic stenosis who have poor percutaneous access options due to peripheral vascular disease.