Long-term prognostic impact of paravalvular leakage on coronary artery disease requires patient-specific quantification of hemodynamics

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a frequently used minimally invasive intervention for patient with aortic stenosis across a broad risk spectrum. While coronary artery disease (CAD) is present in approximately half of TAVR candidates, correlation of post-TAVR complications such as paravalvular leakage (PVL) or misalignment with CAD are not fully understood. For this purpose, we developed a multiscale computational framework based on a patient-specific lumped-parameter algorithm and a 3-D strongly-coupled fluid-structure interaction model to quantify metrics of global circulatory function, metrics of global cardiac function and local cardiac fluid dynamics in 6 patients. Based on our findings, PVL limits the benefits of TAVR and restricts coronary perfusion due to the lack of sufficient coronary blood flow during diastole phase (e.g., maximum coronary flow rate reduced by 21.73%, 21.43% and 21.43% in the left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) respectively (N = 6)). Moreover, PVL may increase the LV load (e.g., LV load increased by 17.57% (N = 6)) and decrease the coronary wall shear stress (e.g., maximum wall shear stress reduced by 20.62%, 21.92%, 22.28% and 25.66% in the left main coronary artery (LMCA), left anterior descending (LAD), left circumflex (LCX) and right coronary artery (RCA) respectively (N = 6)), which could promote atherosclerosis development through loss of the physiological flow-oriented alignment of endothelial cells. This study demonstrated that a rigorously developed personalized image-based computational framework can provide vital insights into underlying mechanics of TAVR and CAD interactions and assist in treatment planning and patient risk stratification in patients.

Automated summary

TAVR patients with CAD may be affected by PVL which limits TAVR benefits and coronary perfusion. PVL may increase LV load, decrease coronary flow, and reduce coronary wall shear stress, promoting atherosclerosis development.