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New insights into the natural history and pathophysiology of patients with aortic stenosis (AS), coupled with the dramatic evolution of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), are fuelling intense interest in the management of asymptomatic patients with severe AS. This patient presenting for elective intervention poses a unique challenge. These patients are not traditionally offered surgical aortic valve replacement or TAVI given their lack of symptoms; however, they are at increased risk given the severity of their AS. Furthermore, clinical experience has shown that symptoms can be challenging to ascertain in many sedentary, deconditioned, and/or elderly patients. In addition, evolving data based on imaging and biomarker evidence of adverse ventricular remodelling, hypertrophy, inflammation, or fibrosis may radically transform existing clinical decision paradigms. However, management of asymptomatic severe AS is otherwise controversial and the decision to intervene requires careful assessment of the benefits and risks in an individual patient. Further randomized trials [EARLY TAVI (NCT03042104), AVATAR (NCT02436655), EVOLVED (NCT03094143)] will help determine future recommendations., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aortic stenosis (AS) is one of the most common valvular diseases in developed countries. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has emerged as alternative to medical treatment or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in all symptomatic patients with severe AS. In 2002, Cribier performed the first human TAVI through a trans-septal approach in a 57-year-old man with severe AS. Since then, several trials have compared TAVI vs. SAVR over the years. Today, it is superior in terms of mortality to medical therapy in extreme-risk patients, non-inferior or superior to surgery in high-risk patients, and non-inferior to surgery and even superior when transfemoral access is possible in intermediate-risk patients. Interesting results emerged from the latest multicentre trials involving patients with severe AS who were at low risk for death from surgery, demonstrating that this therapy will be offered to younger people in the next future., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. © The Author(s) 2020.)