Mitral Valve Stenosis after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Mitral stenosis is a rare and potentially severe complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Given the anatomic coupling and interdependence of the aortic and mitral valves, it comes by itself that procedures (either surgical or percutaneous) involving the aortic valve imply the risk of altering mitral valve function. Indeed, transcatheter aortic prostheses may impair adequate anterior mitral leaflet (AML) opening, especially when implanted in a "low" position, thus resulting in high transvalvular gradients. Hereby, we report the case of a 71-year-old male with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and a history of previous surgical mitral valve repair who underwent TAVR with a self-expandable prosthesis. Notwithstanding an acceptable angiographic position, the prosthetic frame was shown to interfere with the AML, as evidenced by augmented transmitral gradients; nonetheless, pulmonary artery pressures remained unchanged, and the patient experienced symptomatic improvement. Therefore, a conservative approach was chosen and the patient was discharged home after medical therapy optimization. Moreover, we provide a review of the available literature regarding the incidence, predictors and possible management of this infrequent complication.

"Gender paradox" in outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention with paclitaxel eluting stents.

AIMS: To evaluate in-hospital and long-term outcome of women undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) as compared to men and historic controls treated with bare metal stents. METHODS AND RESULTS: Eight-hundred and ten (810) consecutive patients (642 men and 168 women) with PES were analysed and also compared with 3,515 patients (2,811 men and 704 women) with at least one bare metal stent in the three years previous. In the PES group, women were significantly older than men (mean age of 68+/-10 vs. 63+/-10 years, p<0.001), with more diabetes (39.9 vs. 29.7%, p<0.05), smaller treated vessels (<2.5 mm in 34.9 vs. 24.8%, p=0.003), more left-anterior descending lesions (56.6 vs. 43.2%, p<0.001). More men had multivessel disease (78.8 vs. 62.5%, p<0,001), dyslipidaemia (73.2 versus 65.4%, p<0.05), smoking habit (74.3 versus 34.5%, p<0.001) or prior revascularisation (49.7 versus 36.1%, p<0.05). Compared to bare metal stents, similar higher risk features were recorded in women over time. No gender specific differences in in-hospital outcome were observed. At 12 months the rates of cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and late thrombosis were respectively 2.0%, 3.7% and 0% in women and 2.1%, 3.2%, and 1.2% in men (all p=NS). CONCLUSIONS: Albeit with worse baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics in women, very high immediate success rates and a positive outcome can be achieved in both sexes after PES.