Paravalvular Leaks: From Diagnosis to Management

Abstract

Paravalvular leaks (PVLs) are complications of a surgical or percutaneous valve replacement. They are persistent defects between the native annulus and the sewing ring, which result in a regurgitant prosthesis. They are observed in 2–18% of patients after a surgical valve replacement (SVR) and in 7–40% after a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Clinical manifestations are heart failure and hemolysis. They develop in 1–5% of PVL patients, and they have a poor prognosis. Surgery was the only available treatment to improve the patient’s outcome. But it is a high-risk surgery in frail patients and PVL relapse is not rare. Percutaneous PVL closure has emerged as a promising technique. Nevertheless, it needs a careful assessment, demands high technical expertise, and still has limitations. This chapter focuses on the diagnosis of PVL after a SVR and transcatheter PVL closure (TPVL).