Left ventricular mass and valve performance after surgical and transcatheter aortic valve replacement: a single-center experience from Japan

BACKGROUND: There are few reports on the postoperative left ventricular mass (LVM), aortic valve area (AVA), and pressure gradient (PG) after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Japan. We aimed to compare the postoperative LVM, AVA, stroke volume (SV), PG, and long-term outcomes between patients undergoing SAVR and TAVR procedures from single center in Japan. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. We included 107 patients who underwent simple SAVR between January 2012 and May 2022 (SAVR group, n=107) and 274 who underwent TAVR between January 2016 and May 2022 (TAVR group, n=274). The overall mean follow-up periods was 28.8±25.9 months (median: 24 months; range, 0.03–117 months). RESULTS: The aortic valve mean PG (mmHg) was significantly smaller in the TAVR group than in the SAVR group (P<0.001). The AVA index (cm(2)/m(2)) was significantly larger in the TAVR group than in the SAVR group (P<0.001). The SV index (mL/m(2)) was significantly smaller in the SAVR group than in the TAVR group (P=0.02). The LVM index (LVMI) (g/m(2)) was significantly smaller in the SAVR group than in the TAVR group (P<0.001). The incidence of mild or higher postoperative paravalvular leak (PVL) and pacemaker implantation were significantly higher in the TAVR group. The 5-year postoperative mortality, re-hospitalization, and major adverse cerebral and cardiovascular events (MACCEs) were significantly better in the SAVR group. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative aortic valve PG, AVA, and SV were better in the TAVR group; however, LVM regression and postoperative outcomes were better in the SAVR group.