Necropsy Findings Early After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Aortic Stenosis

Although transcatheter aortic valve implantation has been available for 10 years, reports of cardiovascular morphologic studies after the procedure are virtually nonexistent. The investigators describe such findings in 2 patients, both 86 years of age, who died early (hours or several days) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Although the prosthesis in each was seated well, and each of the 3 calcified cusps of the native aortic valves was well compressed to the wall of the aorta, thus providing a good bioprosthetic orifice, the ostium of the dominant right coronary artery in each was obliterated by the native right aortic valve cusp. Atherosclerotic plaques in the common iliac artery led to a major complication in 1 patient, who later died of hemorrhagic stroke. The other patient developed fatal cardiac tamponade secondary to perforation of the right ventricular wall by a pacemaker catheter.