Successful recovery from transcatheter aortic valve embolization by thoracic endovascular stent-graft repair

Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Aug;68(8):851-854. doi: 10.1007/s11748-019-01225-0. Epub 2019 Oct 17.

Abstract

We report a case of an 84-year-old Japanese female patient with transcatheter valve embolization treated with thoracic endovascular stenting. She was diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis and referred to our hospital. Transapical transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TA-TAVI) was selected because she had multiple comorbidities and peripheral vascular disease. During TA-TAVI, the transcatheter valve (TV) came loose and lodged in the distal aortic arch. The TV was floating and unstable, thereby affecting her hemodynamics. After a second TV was placed in the appropriate position with no trouble, we tried fixing the TV using a thoracic endovascular stent-graft. The procedure was successful, and the patient recovered well. The cause of embolization seemed to be associated with a relatively mild calcification of the native aortic valve. Although this complication is rare, several recovery procedures should be prepared.

Keywords: Thoracic endovascular stent-graft repair; Transcatheter aortic valve implantation; Valve embolization.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aorta, Thoracic / surgery*
  • Aortic Valve / surgery
  • Aortic Valve Stenosis / surgery*
  • Embolization, Therapeutic / methods*
  • Endovascular Procedures / methods*
  • Female
  • Heart Valve Prosthesis / adverse effects*
  • Hemodynamics
  • Humans
  • Stents
  • Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement / adverse effects*
  • Treatment Outcome