Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Small Anatomy: Patient Selection and Technical Challenges

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a standard treatment for severe aortic stenosis. Although this technique has reached relative maturity, further optimisation of patient selection and device implantation is essential to improve prognosis. Smaller body size is a predictor of a challenging TAVI procedure due to specific anatomical difficulty and adverse events including annulus rupture, acute coronary obstruction and vascular complications. A newer generation, lower profile TAVI system is useful for patients with smaller anatomy. Moreover, TAVI is superior to surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with a narrowing annulus because this treatement has a low incidence of prosthesis-patient mismatch.