Silent coronary obstruction following transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Detection by transesophageal echocardiography

In several recent guidelines, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been recommended as a therapeutic option for inoperable or high surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. TAVI has various specific complications that seldom occur in surgical aortic valve replacement. Among them, coronary obstruction (CO) is an infrequent but serious complication. Previous case series have reported symptomatic CO cases diagnosed by hemodynamic instability, electrocardiographic changes, and abnormal findings on aortography. We report a case of silent CO in an 86-year-old female. Monitoring of coronary flow by transesophageal echocardiography led to a diagnosis of CO. Silent CO is probably an underdiagnosed complication of TAVI.