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Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Chung is a consultant for Medtronic and Abbott. Dr Khan is a consultant/proctor for Abbott, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic; holds equity in Transmural Systems; and has received institutional educational grants from Abbott, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Phillips. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Khan has been a consultant for Transmural Systems; and has received educational grants from Abbott, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Phillips. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Transcatheter electrosurgery describes the ability to cut and traverse tissue, at a distance, without an open surgical field and is possible using either purpose-built or off-the-shelf devices. Tissue traversal requires focused delivery of radiofrequency energy to a guidewire tip. Initially employed to cross atretic pulmonary valves, tissue traversal has enabled transcaval aortic access, recanalization of arterial and venous occlusions, transseptal access, and many other techniques. To cut tissue, the selectively denuded inner curvature of a kinked guidewire (the Flying-V) or a single-loop snare is energized during traction. Adjunctive techniques may complement or enable contemporary transcatheter procedures, whereas myocardial slicing or excision of ectopic masses may offer definitive therapy. In this contemporary review we discuss the principles of transcatheter electrosurgery, and through exemplary clinical applications highlight the range of therapeutic options offered by this versatile family of procedures.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly being performed in younger and lower surgical risk patients. Given the longer life expectancy of these patients, the bioprosthetic valve will eventually fail, and aortic valve reintervention may be necessary. Although currently rare, redo-TAVR will likely increase in the future as younger patients are expected to outlive their transcatheter bioprosthesis. This review provides a contemporary overview of the indications, procedural planning, implantation technique, and outcomes of TAVR in failed transcatheter bioprosthetic aortic valves., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr Tarantini has received lecture fees from Medtronic, Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott, and Boston Scientific. Dr Sathananthan is a consultant to Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. Dr Khan is an inventor on patents, assigned to the National Institutes of Health, on leaflet laceration technology. Dr Van Mieghem has received research grant support from Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Biotronik, Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, Daiichi Sankyo, Abiomed, PulseCath BV, Siemens, and Pie Medical. Dr Latib is an advisory and/or consultant for Medtronic, Abbott, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, Philips, NeoChord, Shifamed, and Vahaticor. Dr Waksman is on the advisory board for Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, Philips IGT, and Pi-Cardia Ltd; is a consultant for Abbott, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Cordis, Medtronic, Philips IGT, Pi-Cardia Ltd, Swiss Interventional Systems/SIS Medical AG, Transmural Systems Inc, and Venous MedTech; has received grant support from AstraZeneca, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Chiesi, Medtronic, and Philips IGT; is on the Speakers Bureau for AstraZeneca; and is an investor for MedAlliance and Transmural Systems Inc. Dr De Backer has received institutional research grants and consulting fees from Abbott and Boston Scientific. Dr Rogers is a consultant and proctor for Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences; is on the advisory board for Medtronic; has equity interest in Transmural Systema; and is a coinventor on patents, assigned to National Institutes of Health, for transcatheter electrosurgery devices. Dr Søndergaard has received consultant fees and/or institutional research grants from Abbott, Boston Scientific, Medtronic and SMT. Dr Tang is a physician proctor and consultant for Medtronic; is a consultant and physician advisory board member for Abbott Structural Heart; is a physician advisory board member for JenaValve; and is a consultant for NeoChord. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Supported by Emory Structural Heart and Valve program intramural funds and by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant Z01-HL006040. Dr Babaliaros has institutional research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific; is a consultant for Edwards Lifesciences and Abbott Vascular; and has equity interest in Transmural Systems. Drs Gleason, Xie, and Byku have institutional research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. Dr Khan is a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic; and is a coinventor on patents, assigned to the NIH, on devices for electrosurgical tissue laceration. Dr Bruce is a coinventor on patents, assigned to the NIH, on devices for electrosurgical tissue laceration. Dr Grubb is a consultant for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic; and has institutional research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. Dr Paone has institutional research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific; and is a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences. Dr Lederman is a coinventor on patents, assigned to the NIH, on devices for electrosurgical tissue laceration. Dr Greenbaum has institutional research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific; is a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic; and has equity interest in Transmural Systems. Dr Rogers has reported that he has no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Aims: To characterize the dynamic nature of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) geometry and flow rate in patients following transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) with anterior leaflet laceration (LAMPOON) and derive insights to help guide future patient selection., Methods and Results: Time-resolved LVOT geometry and haemodynamics were analysed with post-procedure computed tomography and echocardiography in subjects (N = 19) from the LAMPOON investigational device exemption trial. A novel post hoc definition for LVOT obstruction was employed to account for systolic flow rate and quality of life improvement [obstruction was defined as LVOT gradient >30 mmHg or LVOT effective orifice area (EOA) ≤1.15 cm2]. The neo-LVOT and skirt neo-LVOT were observed to vary substantially in area throughout systole (64 ± 27% and 25 ± 14% change in area, respectively). The peak systolic flow rate occurred most commonly just prior to mid-systole, while minimum neo-LVOT (and skirt neo-LVOT) area occurred most commonly in early-diastole. Subjects with LVOT obstruction (n = 5) had smaller skirt neo-LVOT values across systole. Optimal thresholds for skirt neo-LVOT area were phase-specific (260, 210, 200, and 180 mm2 for early-systole, peak flow, mid-systole, and end-systole, respectively)., Conclusion: The LVOT geometry and flow rate exhibit dynamic characteristics following TMVR with LAMPOON. Subjects with LVOT obstruction had smaller skirt neo-LVOT areas across systole. The authors recommend the use of phase-specific threshold values for skirt neo-LVOT area to guide future patient selection for this procedure. LVOT EOA is a 'flow-independent' metric which has the potential to aid in characterizing LVOT obstruction severity., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2021. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Bioprosthetic or native aortic scallop intentional laceration to prevent iatrogenic coronary artery obstruction (BASILICA) and laceration of the anterior mitral leaflet to prevent outflow obstruction (LAMPOON) reduce the risk of coronary and left ventricular outflow obstruction obstruction during transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter mitral valve replacement. Despite successful laceration, BASILICA or LAMPOON may fail to prevent obstruction caused by inadequate leaflet splay in patients having challenging anatomy such as very small valve-to-coronary distance, diffusely calcified, rigid leaflets, or undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement inside existing transcatheter aortic valve replacement. We describe a novel technique of balloon-augmented (BA) leaflet laceration to enhance leaflet splay., Methods: We measured the incremental leaflet splay from BA-BASILICA in vitro. From November 2019 to March 2021, 16 patients underwent BA-BASILICA and 4 BA-LAMPOON at 3 centers., Results: BA-BASILICA increased benchtop leaflet tip splay 17%, maximum splay angle 30%, and splay area 23%, resulting in a more rounded apex and larger effective area. Sixteen patients at risk for inadequate BASILICA leaflet splay, including 4 transcatheter aortic valve replacement inside existing transcatheter aortic valve replacement, underwent BA-BASILICA. All had successful leaflet laceration. One had coronary obstruction requiring immediate orthotopic stenting. Two underwent elective orthotopic coronary stenting through the transcatheter valve cells for leaflet prolapse without coronary ischemia. There were no deaths during the procedure or at 30 days. Four patients at risk for inadequate anterior mitral leaflet splay underwent BA-LAMPOON. All had successful target leaflet laceration without left ventricular outflow obstruction obstruction or procedural death. One died within 30 days., Conclusions: BA leaflet laceration enhances leaflet splay in vitro and may allow transcatheter aortic valve replacement and transcatheter mitral valve replacement in patients otherwise ineligible for traditional BASILICA or LAMPOON due to challenging anatomy. Graphic Abstract: A graphic abstract is available for this article.

The SAPIEN 3 is the only transcatheter heart valve commercially available for compassionate transcatheter mitral valve replacement in patients with previous mitral surgical rings and mitral annular calcification (valve in ring [VIR] and valve in mitral annular calcification [VIM]). Reported outcomes have been inconsistent or poor. The review provides an overview of the authors' approach to achieve largely consistent results despite the intrinsic limitations of SAPIEN 3 VIM and VIR. The approach includes bedside modifications of the valve implant, the delivery system, and of the cardiac substrate itself. Until purpose-built devices are readily available, VIR and VIM procedures will require aggressive multidisciplinary cooperation, meticulous planning and execution, and postprocedure management by experienced, high-volume operators., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This work was supported by the Emory Structural Heart and Valve program intramural funds, and by National Institutes of Health Grant No. Z01-HL006040. Dr Babaliaros has served as a consultant for Edwards Lifesciences and Abbott Vascular; has an employer with research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific; and owns equity interest in Transmural Systems. Dr Lederman has served as the principal investigator on a cooperative research and development agreement between National Institutes of Health and Edwards Lifesciences for transcatheter modification of the mitral valve. Drs Lederman, Khan, and Rogers are co-inventors on patents, assigned to the National Institutes of Health, on devices for electrosurgical leaflet laceration. Drs Khan and Rogers have served as proctors for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. Mr Kohli has served as a consultant for Abbott Laboratories. Dr Paone has served as a consultant and proctor for Edwards Lifesciences. Dr Lisko’s employer has contracts for BASILICA analysis with Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences. Dr Greenbaum has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Abbott Vascular; owns an equity interest in Transmural Systems; and has an employer with research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

All bioprosthetic valves, both surgical and transcatheter, have a finite lifespan before their leaflets inevitably degenerate, leading to stenosis or regurgitation. As younger, low-risk patients receive a transcatheter aortic valve, it is expected that they will most likely outlive their bioprosthetic valve. The heterogeneity of studies regarding surgical valve durability makes the interpretation of the data challenging. Leaflet thickening is seen in transcatheter heart valves but currently there is no evidence that it leads to premature valve deterioration or clinical events. Standardized definitions of structural valve deterioration should allow for comparisons between future clinical trials to assess the durability of different transcatheter heart valves., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is approved for all patient risk profiles and is an option for all patients irrespective of age. However, patients enrolled in the low- and intermediate-risk trials were in their 70s, and those in the high-risk trials were in their 80s. TAVR has never been systematically tested in young (<65 years), low-risk patients. Unanswered questions remain, including the safety and effectiveness of TAVR in patients with bicuspid aortic valves; future coronary access; durability of transcatheter heart valves; technical considerations for surgical transcatheter heart valve explantation; management of concomitant conditions such as aortopathy, mitral valve disease, and coronary artery disease; and the safety and feasibility of future TAVR-in-TAVR. The authors predict that balancing these questions with patients' clear preference for less invasive treatment will become common. In this paper, the authors consider each of these questions and discuss risks and benefits of theoretical treatment strategies in the lifetime management of young patients with severe aortic stenosis., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures Dr. Waksman is an advisory board member for Amgen, Boston Scientific, Cardioset, Cardiovascular Systems, Medtronic, Philips, and Pi-Cardia; is a consultant for Amgen, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, Cardioset, Cardiovascular Systems, Medtronic, Philips, and Pi-Cardia; has received grant support from AstraZeneca, Biotronik, Boston Scientific, and Chiesi; is on the Speakers Bureau for AstraZeneca and Chiesi; and is an investor in MedAlliance. Dr. Rogers is an advisory board member for Medtronic; is a consultant and proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic; and holds equity interest in Transmural Systems. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background/purpose: This sub-analysis of the prospective Low Risk TAVR (LRT) trial determined anatomical characteristics associated with hypoattenuated leaflet thickening (HALT), which may contribute to early transcatheter heart valve (THV) degeneration., Methods/materials: The LRT trial enrolled 200 low-risk patients between February 2016 and February 2018. All subjects underwent baseline and 30-day CT studies, analyzed by an independent core laboratory. Additional measurements, namely THV expansion, eccentricity, depth, and commissural alignment, were made by consensus of three independent readers. HALT was observed only in the Sapien 3 THV, so Evolut valves were excluded from this analysis., Results: In the LRT trial, 177 subjects received Sapien 3 THVs, of whom 167 (94.3%) had interpretable 30-day CTs and were eligible for this analysis. Twenty-six subjects had HALT (15.6%). Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. There was no difference in THV size implanted and baseline aortic-root geometry between groups. In patients who developed HALT, THV implantation depth was shallower than in patients who did not develop HALT (2.6 ± 1.1 mm HALT versus 3.3 ± 1.8 mm no-HALT, p = 0.03). There were more patients in the HALT group with commissural malalignment (40% vs. 28%; p = 0.25), but this did not reach statistical significance. In a univariable regression model, no predetermined variables were shown to independently predict the development of HALT., Conclusions: This study did not find anatomical or THV implantation characteristics that predicted the development of HALT at 30 days. This study cannot exclude subtle effects or interaction between factors because of the small number of events., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: This study sought to determine the safety of the BASILICA (bioprosthetic or native aortic scallop intentional laceration to prevent iatrogenic coronary artery obstruction) procedure., Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement causes coronary artery obstruction in 0.7% of cases, with 40% to 50% mortality. BASILICA is a procedure to prevent coronary obstruction. Safety and feasibility in a large patient cohort is lacking., Methods: The international BASILICA registry was a retrospective, multicenter, real-world registry of patients at risk of coronary artery obstruction undergoing BASILICA and transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 definitions were used to adjudicate events., Results: Between June 2017 and December 2020, 214 patients were included from 25 centers in North America and Europe; 72.8% had bioprosthetic aortic valves and 78.5% underwent solo BASILICA. Leaflet traversal was successful in 94.9% and leaflet laceration in 94.4%. Partial or complete coronary artery obstruction was seen in 4.7%. Procedure success, defined as successful BASILICA traversal and laceration without mortality, coronary obstruction, or emergency intervention, was achieved in 86.9%. Thirty-day mortality was 2.8% and stroke was 2.8%, with 0.5% disabling stroke. Thirty-day death and disabling stroke were seen in 3.4%. Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 composite safety was achieved in 82.8%. One-year survival was 83.9%. Outcomes were similar between solo and doppio BASILICA, between native and bioprosthetic valves, and with the use of cerebral embolic protection., Conclusions: BASILICA is safe, with low reported rates of stroke and death. BASILICA is feasible in the real-world setting, with a high procedure success rate and low rates of coronary artery obstruction., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This work was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant Z01-HL006061. Drs. Khan, Rogers, and Lederman are co-inventors on patents, assigned to National Institutes of Health, on catheter devices to lacerate valve leaflets. Dr. Khan has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. Dr. Babaliaros has served as a consultant for Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, and Transmural Systems; and his employer has research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic and mitral devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, St. Jude Medical, and Boston Scientific. Dr. Greenbaum has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Abbott Vascular; and owns equity in Transmural Systems. Dr. Depta has served as a consultant and on the advisory board for Edwards Lifesciences, Boston Scientific, and W.L. Gore and Associates. Dr. McCabe has received honoraria from and served as a consultant for Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. Muhammad has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Abbott. Dr. Mahoney has served as a consultant and proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. Dr. Shah has served as a proctor Edwards Lifesciences; and has received educational grants from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott, and Medtronic. Dr. Chhatriwalla has served on the Speakers Bureau for Abbott Vascular, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic; has served as a consultant for Boston Scientific and Silk Road Medical; has received research grant support from Boston Scientific; and has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. Dr. Leonardi has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. Khalil has served as a proctor for Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. Tang has served as a physician proctor for Medtronic; and has served as a consultant for Medtronic, Abbott Structural Heart, and W.L. Gore and Associates. Dr. Herrmann has received institutional research funding from Abbott Vascular, Boston Scientific, Edwards Lifesciences, and Medtronic; and has received consulting and speaking honoraria from Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. Dr. Fail has served as a proctor for Medtronic. Dr. Pop has served as consultant for Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. Lederman has served as the principal investigator on a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between the National Institutes of Health and Edwards Lifesciences on transcatheter modification of the mitral valve. Dr. Waksman has served as a consultant for Medtronic and Abbott Vascular; and has received grant support from Abbott Vascular. Dr. Rogers has served as a consultant or proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic; and owns equity in Transmural Systems. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Cardiology Foundation. All rights reserved.)

Background: Coronary artery obstruction is a rare, devastating complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Transcatheter electrosurgical aortic leaflet laceration (Bioprosthetic or Native Aortic Scallop Intentional Laceration to Prevent Iatrogenic Coronary Artery Obstruction [BASILICA]) is a novel technique to prevent coronary artery obstruction. We report the 1-year outcomes of the BASILICA trial. Primary end points of 30-day success and safety have been reported previously., Methods: The BASILICA trial was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm safety and feasibility study. Subjects with severe native or bioprosthetic aortic valve disease at high or extreme risk for surgery, and high risk of coronary artery obstruction, were included. End points at 1 year included death, stroke, and myocardial infarction. Source data was independently verified and end points independently adjudicated., Results: Thirty subjects were enrolled between February 2018 and July 2018. At 30 days, BASILICA was successful in 28 subjects (93.3%), there were 3 strokes (10%), including 1 disabling stroke (3.3%), 1 death (3.3%), and 1 periprocedural myocardial infarction (3.3%). Between 30 days and 1 year, there were no additional strokes, no myocardial infarction, and 2 deaths (10% 1-year mortality). No subject needed repeat intervention for aortic valve or coronary disease. Two subjects had infective endocarditis (6.7%), but neither was isolated to the aortic valve. There were no hospital admissions for heart failure. Fourteen (46.7%) subjects required repeat hospital admission for other causes. Aortic valve gradients on echocardiography, New York Heart Association functional class, and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire scores improved from baseline to 30 days and were maintained at 1 year., Conclusions: In these subjects with multiple comorbidities and restrictive anatomy that underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement, there was no late stroke, myocardial infarction, or death related to BASILICA. Mitigation of coronary obstruction remained intact at 1 year and was not related to recurrent readmission. These results are reassuring for patients and physicians who wish to avoid the long-term complications related to snorkel stenting., Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT03381989.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate tip-to-base intentional laceration of the anterior mitral leaflet to prevent left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LAMPOON) in patients undergoing transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) in annuloplasty rings or surgical mitral valves., Background: LAMPOON is an effective adjunct to TMVR that prevents left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO). Laceration is typically performed from the base to the tip of the anterior mitral leaflet. A modified laceration technique from leaflet tip to base may be effective in patients with a prosthesis that protects the aortomitral curtain., Methods: This is a multicenter, 21-patient, consecutive retrospective observational cohort. Patients underwent tip-to-base LAMPOON to prevent LVOTO and leaflet overhang, or therapeutically to lacerate a long anterior mitral leaflet risking or causing LVOTO. Outcomes were compared with findings from patients in the LAMPOON investigational device exemption trial with a prior mitral annuloplasty., Results: Twenty-one patients with a annuloplasty or valve prosthesis-protected mitral annulus underwent tip-to-base LAMPOON (19 preventive, 2 rescue). Leaflet laceration was successful in all and successfully prevented or treated LVOTO in all patients. No patients had significant LVOTO upon discharge. There were 2 cases of unintentional aortic valve injury (1 patient underwent emergency transcatheter aortic valve replacement and 1 patient underwent urgent surgical aortic valve replacement). In both cases, the patients had a supra-annular ring annuloplasty, and the retrograde aortic guiding catheter failed to insulate the guidewire lacerating surface from the aortic root. All patients survived to 30 days. Compared with classic retrograde LAMPOON, there was a trend toward shorter procedure time., Conclusions: Tip-to-base laceration is a simple, effective, and safe LAMPOON variant applicable to patients with an appropriately positioned mitral annular ring or bioprosthetic valve. Operators should take care to insulate the lacerating surface from adjacent structures., Competing Interests: Funding Support and Author Disclosures This work was supported by the Emory Structural Heart and Valve program intramural funds and by National Institutes of Health Grant No. Z01-HL006040. Dr. Lisko’s employer has contracts for BASILICA analysis with Medtronic and Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. Babaliaros has served as a consultant for Edwards Lifesciences and Abbott Vascular; has an employer with research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific; and owns equity interest in Transmural Systems. Drs. Khan and Rogers have served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic. Drs. Khan, Lederman, and Rogers are co-inventors on patents, assigned to the National Institutes of Health, on devices for electrosurgical leaflet laceration. Dr. Paone has served as a consultant and proctor for Edwards Lifesciences. Dr. McCabe has served as consultant for Edwards Lifesciences, Boston Scientific, and Teleflex. Dr. Grubb has served as a speaker, proctor, and principal investigator for Edwards Lifesciences; served as a speaker, proctor, and advisory board member for Boston Scientific; and served as a speaker, proctor, principal investigator, advisory board member, and national principal investigator for Medtronic. Dr. Lederman has served as the principal investigator on a cooperative research and development agreement between National Institutes of Health and Edwards Lifesciences for transcatheter modification of the mitral valve. Dr. Greenbaum has served as a proctor for Edwards Lifesciences, Medtronic, and Abbott Vascular; owns an equity interest in Transmural Systems; and has an employer with research contracts for clinical investigation of transcatheter aortic, mitral, and tricuspid devices from Edwards Lifesciences, Abbott Vascular, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: The supra-annular leaflet position and tall stent frame of the self-expanding Evolut PRO or Evolut PRO+ transcatheter heart valves (THVs) may cause coronary occlusion during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)-in-TAVR and present challenges for future coronary access. We sought to evaluate the risk of TAVR-in-TAVR with Evolut PRO or Evolut PRO+ THVs and the feasibility of future coronary access., Methods: The CoreValve Evolut PRO Prospective Registry (EPROMPT; NCT03423459) prospectively enrolled patients with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis to undergo TAVR using a commercially available latest generation self-expanding THV at 2 centers in the United States. Computed tomography was performed 30 days after TAVR, which we used to simulate TAVR-in-TAVR with a second Evolut PRO or Evolut PRO+ THV and evaluate for risk of coronary obstruction and feasibility of future coronary access., Results: Eighty-one patients enrolled with interpretable computed tomography are reported herein. Computed tomography simulation predicted sinus of Valsalva sequestration and resultant coronary obstruction during future TAVR-in-TAVR in up to 23% of patients. Computed tomography simulation predicted that the position of the pinned THV leaflets would hinder future coronary access in up to 78% of patients after TAVR-in-TAVR., Conclusions: Further THV design improvements and leaflet modification strategies are needed to mitigate the risk of coronary obstruction during TAVR-in-TAVR with self-expanding THVs and to facilitate future coronary access. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03423459.

Background: Transcatheter mitral valve replacement using aortic transcatheter heart valves has recently become an alternative for patients with degenerated mitral bioprostheses, failed surgical repairs with annuloplasty rings or severe mitral annular calcification who are poor surgical candidates. Outcomes of these procedures are collected in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology/Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry. A comprehensive analysis of mitral valve-in-valve (MViV), mitral valve-in-ring (MViR), and valve-in-mitral annular calcification (ViMAC) outcomes has not been performed. We sought to evaluate short-term outcomes of early experience with MViV, MViR, and ViMAC in the United States., Methods: Retrospective analysis of data from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry., Results: Nine hundred three high-risk patients (median Society of Thoracic Surgeons score 10%) underwent MViV (n=680), MViR (n=123), or ViMAC (n=100) between March 2013 and June 2017 at 172 hospitals. Median age was 75 years, 59.2% female. Technical and procedural success were higher in MViV. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction occurred more frequently with ViMAC (ViMAC=10%, MViR=4.9%, MViV=0.7%; P <0.001). In-hospital mortality (MViV=6.3%, MViR=9%, ViMAC=18%; P =0.004) and 30-day mortality (MViV=8.1%, MViR=11.5%, ViMAC=21.8%; P =0.003) were higher in ViMAC. At 30-day follow-up, median mean mitral valve gradient was 7 mm Hg, most patients (96.7%) had mitral regurgitation grade ≤1 (+) and were in New York Heart Association class I to II (81.7%)., Conclusions: MViV using aortic balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valves is associated with a low complication rate, a 30-day mortality lower than predicted by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons score, and superior short-term outcomes than MViR and ViMAC. At 30 days, patients in all groups experienced improvement of symptoms, and valve performance remained stable. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifier: NCT02245763.

Background: This analysis evaluated echocardiographic predictors of hypoattenuated leaflet thickening (HALT) in low-risk patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement and assessed 1-year clinical and hemodynamic consequences. HALT by computed tomography may be associated with early valve degeneration and increased neurological events., Methods: Echocardiograms were performed at baseline, discharge, 30 days, and 1 year post-procedure. Four-dimensional contrast-enhanced computed tomography assessed HALT at 30 days. Independent core laboratories analyzed images. Doppler hemodynamic parameters were tested in a univariable regression model to identify HALT predictors. One-year clinical and hemodynamic outcomes were compared between HALT (+) and (-) patients., Results: Analysis included 170 patients with Sapien 3 valves and diagnostic 30-day computed tomographies, of whom 27 (16%) had HALT. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. After transcatheter aortic valve replacement, aortic flow was nonsignificantly reduced in patients who developed HALT. Regression analysis did not show significant association between baseline or discharge valve hemodynamics and development of HALT at 30 days. Patients with HALT had smaller aortic valve areas (1.4±0.4 versus 1.7±0.5 cm 2 ; P =0.018) and Doppler velocity index (0.4±0.1 versus 0.5±0.1; P =0.003) than those without HALT at 30 days but not at 1 year. There was no difference in aortic mean gradient at 30 days. There was no difference between the groups in New York Heart Association class, 6-minute walk distance, and mortality at 1 year., Conclusions: There were no early hemodynamic predictors of HALT. At 30 days, patients with HALT had worse valve hemodynamics than those without HALT, but hemodynamic and clinical outcomes at 1 year were similar., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02628899.

Objectives: To test custom-shape guiding catheter curves intended to simplify aortic valve leaflet laceration., Background: Bioprosthetic Aortic Scallop Intentional Laceration to prevent Iatrogenic Coronary Artery obstruction (BASILICA) is an adjunct to transcatheter aortic valve replacement. It can be technically demanding using popular coronary guiding catheters and catheter-in-guide coaxial systems. New elephant-trunk shaped Pachyderm Left (PAL1,PAL2,PAL3, Launcher, Medtronic) and Right (PJR4) guiding catheters match the geometric requirements to engage aortic cusp hinge points. We evaluate whether these catheters ease BASILICA compared with conventional-shape coronary guiding catheters used in the BASILICA IDE trial., Methods: This is a single-center, consecutive, retrospective observational cohort of patients who underwent BASILICA for risk of TAVR-induced coronary obstruction defined as virtual valve-to-coronary distance <4 mm, immediately upon commercial availability of the new Pachyderm shaped catheters. Clinical, procedural, and angiographic details were abstracted from medical records of their index procedure, and were compared to adjudicated findings in the BASILICA IDE trial., Results: Nine leaflets in 6 patients were traversed and lacerated using BASILICA and Pachyderm curve guiding catheters for traversal, including three solo left and three doppio left and right leaflets. Leaflet traversal was universally successful. Leaflet time-to-leaflet traversal was shorter using Pachyderm catheters compared with the BASILICA IDE trial (8.3 min (5.6-15) vs 45 min (20, 61), p = 0.016). There were no deaths, strokes, or vascular complications., Conclusions: The new Pachyderm shaped guiding catheters significantly hastened the leaflet time-to-traversal during BASILICA TAVR. We recommend they be used instead of conventional coronary-shaped guiding catheters., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

An increasing number of surgically implanted bioprostheses will require re-intervention for structural valve deterioration. Valve-in-valve transcatheter aortic valve replacement (ViV TAVR) has become an alternative to reoperative surgery, currently approved for high-risk and inoperable patients. Challenges to the technique include higher rates of prosthesis-patient mismatch and coronary obstruction, compared to native valve TAVR. Herein, we review results of ViV TAVR and novel techniques to overcome the aforementioned challenges.

Objectives: The BASILICA (Bioprosthetic or native Aortic Scallop Intentional Laceration to prevent Iatrogenic Coronary Artery obstruction during TAVR) investigational device exemption trial was a prospective, multicenter, single-arm safety and feasibility study., Background: Coronary artery obstruction is a rare but devastating complication of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Current stent-based preventative strategies are suboptimal. Bioprosthetic or native aortic scallop intentional laceration to prevent iatrogenic coronary artery obstruction during TAVR (BASILICA) is a novel transcatheter technique performed immediately before TAVR to prevent coronary artery obstruction., Methods: Subjects with severe native or bioprosthetic aortic valve disease at high or extreme risk for surgery, and at high risk of coronary artery obstruction, were included. The primary success endpoint was successful BASILICA and TAVR without coronary obstruction or reintervention. The primary safety endpoint was freedom from major adverse cardiovascular events. Data were independently monitored. Endpoints were independently adjudicated. A core laboratory analyzed computed tomography images., Results: Between February 2018 and July 2018, 30 subjects were enrolled. Primary success was met in 28 (93%) subjects. BASILICA traversal and laceration was successful in 35 of 37 (95%) attempted leaflets. There was 100% freedom from coronary obstruction and reintervention. Primary safety was met in 21 (70%), driven by 6 (20%) major vascular complications related to TAVR but not BASILICA. There was 1 death at 30 days. There was 1 (3%) disabling stroke and 2 (7%) nondisabling strokes. Transient hemodynamic compromise was rare (7%) and resolved promptly with TAVR., Conclusions: BASILICA was feasible in both native and bioprosthetic valves. Hemodynamic compromise was uncommon. Safety was acceptable and needs confirmation in larger studies. BASILICA appears effective in preventing coronary artery obstruction from TAVR in subjects at high risk., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

An ageing population and increased utilisation of tissue valves in younger patients imply that the number of patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve implantation within failed bioprostheses will continue to increase. There are two major adverse events associated with aortic valve-in-valve procedures that may temper the enthusiasm for these appealing interventions. Residual stenosis is the "Achilles' heel" of aortic valve-in-valve, while coronary obstruction is an uncommon but life-threatening adverse event. Prevention of these adverse events is essential. Emerging tools and techniques enable operators to manipulate existing devices and to implant new ones inside them safely. Considering the available evidence, it seems that bioprosthetic valve ring fracture and bioprosthetic or native aortic scallop intentional laceration to prevent iatrogenic coronary artery obstruction (BASILICA) may enable some solution. Until we have prosthetic valves that are both very durable and non-thrombogenic, we can expect that techniques and tools chosen to treat failed bioprosthetic valves effectively will continue to be designed and utilised.