Association of Bovine Arch Anatomy With Incident Stroke After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

Abstract

Background Acute ischemic stroke complicates 2% to 3% of transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). This study aimed to identify the aortic anatomic correlates in patients after TAVR stroke. Methods and Results This is a single‐center, retrospective study of patients who underwent TAVR at the Mayo Clinic between 2012 and 2022. The aortic arch morphology was determined via a manual review of the pre‐TAVR computed tomography images. An “a priori” approach was used to select the covariates for the following: (1) the logistic regression model assessing the association between a bovine arch and periprocedural stroke (defined as stroke within 7 days after TAVR); and (2) the Cox proportional hazards regression model assessing the association between a bovine arch and long‐term stroke after TAVR. A total of 2775 patients were included (59.6% men; 97.8% White race; mean±SD age, 79.3±8.4 years), of whom 495 (17.8%) had a bovine arch morphology. Fifty‐seven patients (1.7%) experienced a periprocedural stroke. The incidence of acute stroke was significantly higher among patients with a bovine arch compared with those with a nonbovine arch (3.6% versus 1.7%; P =0.01). After adjustment, a bovine arch was independently associated with increased periprocedural strokes (adjusted odds ratio, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.22–3.83]). At a median follow‐up of 2.7 years, the overall incidence of post‐TAVR stroke was 6.0% and was significantly higher in patients with a bovine arch even after adjusting for potential confounders (10.5% versus 5.0%; adjusted hazard ratio, 2.11 [95% CI, 1.51–2.93]; P <0.001). Conclusions A bovine arch anatomy is associated with a significantly higher risk of periprocedural and long‐term stroke after TAVR.