Imaging for approach selection of TAVI: assessment of the aorto-iliac tract diameter by computed tomography-angiography versus projection angiography

Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2014 Feb;30(2):399-405. doi: 10.1007/s10554-013-0343-2. Epub 2013 Dec 11.

Abstract

The choice of preferred access route for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is mainly guided by the minimal aorto-femoral tract diameter. Currently, projection angiography (XA) and CT-angiography (CTA) are used interchangeably to assess this diameter in the TAVI work-up. We aimed to assess the agreement of XA and CTA diameter measurements in TAVI candidates. Diameters of 700 aorta-iliac segments of 102 TAVI candidates were analyzed on both XA and CTA. The diameters on XA were measured manually, for the CTA-based analysis semi-automated segmentation software was used. Paired sample T test was used to evaluate differences in diameter measurements between the modalities. Disagreement on the suitability for a transfemoral (TF)-TAVI approach was identified. The interobserver agreement for both measurements was assessed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The average diameters were 10.1 ± 1.8 mm and 8.4 ± 1.7 for XA and CTA respectively. The mean paired difference was 1.73 mm (p < 0.001). For 18 patients (17.6 %) diameters measured on CTA images, were bilaterally less than 6 mm, whilst XA indicated a minimum diameter exceeding 6 mm. For both modalities, the interobserver agreement was excellent (ICC 0.95). Diameters measured semi-automatically on CTA were statistically significantly smaller compared to XA. This should be acknowledged in the work-up for selecting the most appropriate approach for TAVI. In our population 17.6 % of patients would have been denied a transfemoral TAVI based on CTA measurements, whilst XA suggested diameters sufficient for a TF approach.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aorta*
  • Aortography / methods*
  • Automation
  • Cardiac Catheterization / methods*
  • Female
  • Femoral Artery / diagnostic imaging*
  • Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / methods*
  • Humans
  • Iliac Artery / diagnostic imaging*
  • Male
  • Observer Variation
  • Patient Selection
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Software
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed*