Aortic Valve Calcium: A Narrative Review of its Role in the Assessment of Aortic Stenosis and as a Predictor of Post-transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Outcomes.

Abstract

Degenerative aortic valve disease is the third most common cause of heart disease in the developed world. Calcific deposits accrue in the valve endothelium causing progressive stenosis of the orifice. Increasingly, transcatheter aortic valve implantation is being used in place of surgery as treatment for aortic stenosis, particularly for patients who are considered high surgical risk. Although echocardiography remains the gold standard for the diagnosis and grading of aortic valve stenosis, there is an increasing interest in the role that aortic valve calcification scoring may play in these areas. In this review, the authors evaluate the current evidence for aortic valve calcium scoring as an adjunct to echocardiography in grading, and as a prognostic marker in challenging cases. They also explore the ability of calcium scoring to predict outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation.