Key result
PET/CT imaging with [18F]F-FDG and [18F]F-NaF was feasible in 73 TAVI patients at 6 months, showing significant correlations with valve types, effective orifice area, and transaortic gradients.
Why the study?
TAVI valve durability and factors accelerating valve degeneration are not well-known as procedure numbers grow and patient age decreases.
Does [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG PET/CT imaging correlate with echocardiographic indices of early-stage aortic valve degeneration in TAVI patients?
Observational (n=73)
Does [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG PET/CT imaging correlate with echocardiographic indices of early-stage aortic valve degeneration in TAVI patients?
PET/CT imaging with [18F]F-FDG and [18F]F-NaF is feasible for differentiating TAVI leaflet uptake from adjacent calcifications, potentially enabling early detection of valve degeneration.
Supports PET/CT for post-TAVI valve assessment; leaves open predictive value for degeneration.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now a well-established treatment for severe aortic stenosis. As the number of procedures and indications increase, the age of patients decreases. However, their durability and factors accelerating the process of degeneration are not well-known. The aim of the study was to verify the possibility of using [18F]F-sodium fluoride ([18F]F-NaF) and [18F]F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in assessing the intensity of TAVI valve degenerative processes. In 73 TAVI patients, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) at initial (before TAVI), baseline (after TAVI), and during follow-up, as well as transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and PET/CT, were performed using [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG at the six-month follow-up (FU) visit as a part of a two-year FU period. The morphology of TAVI valve leaflets were assessed in TEE, transvalvular gradients and effective orifice area (EOA) in TTE. Calcium scores and PET tracer activity were counted. We assessed the relationship between [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG PET/CT uptake at the 6 = month FU with selected indices e.g.,: transvalvular gradient, valve type, EOA and insufficiency grade at following time points after the TAVI procedure. We present the preliminary PET/CT ([18F]F-NaF, [18F]F-FDG) results at the six-month follow-up period as are part of an ongoing study, which will last two years FU. We enrolled 73 TAVI patients with the mean age of 82.49 ± 7.11 years. A significant decrease in transvalvular gradient and increase of effective orifice area and left ventricle ejection fraction were observed. At six months, FU valve thrombosis was diagnosed in four patients, while 7.6% of patients refused planned controls due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We noticed significant correlations between valve types, EOA and transaortic valve gradients, as well as [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG uptake in PET/CT. PET/CT imaging with the use of [18F]F-FDG and [18F]F-NaF is intended to be feasible, and it practically allows the standardized uptake value (SUV) to differentiate the area containing the TAVI leaflets from the SUV directly adjacent to the ring calcifications and the calcified native leaflets. This could become the seed for future detection and evaluation capabilities regarding the progression of even early degenerative lesions to the TAVI valve, expressed as local leaflet inflammation and microcalcifications.
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Sorysz et al. (2021) conducted an observational in Severe aortic stenosis post-TAVI (n=73). [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG PET/CT imaging was evaluated on Relationship between [18F]F-NaF and [18F]F-FDG PET/CT uptake at 6-month follow-up with transvalvular gradient, valve type, EOA, and insufficiency grade. PET/CT imaging with [18F]F-FDG and [18F]F-NaF was feasible in 73 TAVI patients at 6 months, showing significant correlations with valve types, effective orifice area, and transaortic gradients.
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