Valve thrombosis 7 months after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Abstract

A 77-year old man underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation for severe aortic stenosis with a 29-mm Edwards-Sapien XT aortic valve bioprosthesis. Periprocedural transesophageal echocardiography and computed tomography showed good positioning and expansion of the prosthesis with only minor transvalvular insufficiency. On a routine checkup 7 months later, echocardiography and computed tomography showed a high transvalvular gradient suggestive of valve thrombosis, which could not be treated with warfarin. Because of rapid deterioration of the patient's clinical condition, an urgent surgical valve replacement was performed 4 weeks after initial notice of the valve thrombosis. The patient's postoperative stay was uneventful.