Transcatheter aortic valve replacement for bicuspid aortic valve disease: does conventional surgery have a future?

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is the most common form of congenital heart valve defect. It is associated with aortic stenosis (AS), aortic insufficiency, and aortopathy. Treatment of severe AS requires valve replacement which historically has been performed with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Recently, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as a promising alternative. However, increased rates of adverse outcomes following TAVR have been shown in BAV patients with high amounts of calcification. Comparison between TAVR and SAVR in low surgical risk BAV patients in a randomized trial has not been performed and TAVR for BAV long-term performance is unknown due to lack of clinical data. Due to the complexity of BAV anatomies and the significant knowledge gap from the lack of clinical data, SAVR still has many benefits over TAVR in low surgical risk BAV patients. It also remains common for BAV patients to have an aortopathy, which currently can be treated with surgical techniques. This review aims to outline BAV associated diseases and their treatment strategies, the main TAVR adverse outcomes associated with anatomically complex BAV patients, TAVR strategies for mitigating these risks and the current state of cutting-edge 3D printing and computer modeling screening methods that can provide otherwise unobtainable preoperative information during the BAV patient selection process for TAVR.

Automated summary

Bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease is the most common congenital heart valve defect, often associated with other heart conditions. Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is still the main treatment for severe cases, although transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as an alternative. However, TAVR has shown higher rates of adverse outcomes in patients with significant calcification. In low surgical risk patients, SAVR still has advantages over TAVR. Additionally, BAV patients often have aortopathy, which can be treated with surgical techniques.