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Objective: Cardiovascular diseases are the first cause of death in western societies. Therapeutic interventions in the individual patient should be guided by the so-called ischemic risk of this patient., Purpose: The aim of the study was to study the ischemic prognostic scores GRACE and CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc, in patients underwent angioplasty to highlight which best predicts better the ischemic risk., Methods: Consecutives patients who underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) due to Acute Coronary Disease, or elective PCI in one centre in Athens, Greece, where included in the study. The GRACE score and the CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score were calculated., Results: 667 patients participated in the study with an average age of 61 ± 11 years and were followed-up for 2 years. The GRACE score and its predicted incidence at 3 years, was compared to the CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score. CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score was able to show a marginally better prognosis of future ischemic events, with an AUC of 0.624 vs 0.608 of the GRACE score., Conclusions: In our study, The CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score managed to predict, marginally better, the appearance of MACCE over GRACE, in patients with angioplasty., (Copyright © 2018 Hellenic Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: In transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), prosthesis over-sizing prevents paravalvular leak (PVL). Strategies of over-sizing for self-expanding bioprostheses are not well established at present., Methods: Patients with aortic valve stenosis scheduled for TAVI underwent preprocedural multislice computed tomography. Based on the degree of over-sizing, a ROC curve was drawn to define the optimal value of valve sizing for reducing PVL after TAVI., Results: A total of 152 consecutive patients were included in the study (mean age, 79.95 ± 7.71 years; log EuroScore: 23.87 ± 8.93%). Based on the ROC curve, sizing of 14% was the optimal that would lead to less moderate/severe PVL (P<.01). Group 1 was defined as sizing <14% (n = 49 patients) and group 2 was defined as sizing ≥14% (n = 103 patients). During a follow-up period of 36 ± 14 months, a total of 9 patients died from group 1 vs 4 patients from group 2 (P<.01). Two of the patients who died had moderate/severe PVL and 11 had no/mild PVL (P=.27). From the population, a total of 49 patients (32%) were found to be in the "borderline" zone. Patients who received the smaller valve had lower mean left ventricular outflow tract diameter (P=.048), higher rate of calcium load (mild: 10 [32%] vs 13 [72%]; moderate: 16 [52%] vs 3 [17%]; severe: 5 [16%] vs 2 [11%]; P=.02) and lower mean of sinus of Valsalva diameter (P=.046) compared with patients who received the bigger valve., Conclusions: In patients undergoing TAVI, over-sizing the prosthesis at least 14% reduces PVL. In borderline cases, taking into consideration additional anatomical parameters may result in low rates of PVL.

Aortic valve stenosis is one of the most common valvular heart disorders and the prevalence will rise as the population ages. Once symptomatic patients with aortic valve stenosis tend to fare worse with high mortality rates. Aortic valve replacement is indicated in these patients and besides the standard surgical replacement, a less invasive approach, transcatheter aortic valve implantation, has gained momentum and has showed promising and solid results in patients with high surgical risk. An important aspect of evaluating patients with aortic valve stenosis is the ability to choose the best possible candidate for the procedure. In addition, predicting the short and long-term clinical outcomes after the valve replacement could offer the treating physicians a better insight and provide information for optimal therapy. Biomarkers are biological parameters that can be objectively measured and evaluated as indicators of normal biological processes and are easily monitored. The aim of this review is to critically assess some of the most widely used biomarkers at present (natriuretic peptides, troponins, C-reactive protein) and provide an insight in novel biomarkers that are currently being investigated (galectin-3, growth differentiation factor-15, microRNAs) for possible diagnostic and prognostic use in aortic valve stenosis and transcatheter aortic valve implantation respectively., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is the most common valvular heart disease among elderly. Trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an established and effective alternative therapeutical procedure for inoperable and high-risk patients with symptomatic AS. The procedural success is greatly dependent on a thorough pre-TAVI imaging screening. This requires a comprehensive and multi-modality approach, in which multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) is the cornerstone in the selection of eligible patients, in choosing the appropriate prosthesis and size, and in mapping the safest access route for the intervention. From our experience of more than 400 TAVI procedures and many more MSCTs for screening purposes, we provide clinical and technical details on the use of MSCT pre-TAVI and brief review of the knowledge so far., (Copyright © 2017 Hellenic Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)