The thesis focuses on gaining new understanding about functional mitral regurgitation and evaluating the impact of percutaneous transcatheter mitral valve therapies. Chapter 1 provides an overview... Show moreThe thesis focuses on gaining new understanding about functional mitral regurgitation and evaluating the impact of percutaneous transcatheter mitral valve therapies. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the transcatheter mitral repair technologies and the key points in patient selection and procedural guidance. Chapter 2 uses 3D transesophageal echocardiography to evaluate leaflet remodeling in functional mitral regurgitation and finds significant remodeling and decreased coaptation area in patients with worse functional mitral regurgitation. Chapter 3 evaluates changes in mitral valve geometry in the presence of significant aortic regurgitation and finds that severe mitral regurgitation can arise when adaptive mechanisms of the mitral valve fail. Chapter 4 evaluates the relationship between global and regional myocardial function and the recurrence of functional mitral regurgitation in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation who underwent surgery. Chapter 5 investigates the eligibility for transcatheter mitral valve therapy in high surgical risk patients with mitral regurgitation recurrence after initial surgery. Chapter six evaluates the effects of the transatheter-based mitral valve edge-to-edge repair technique using the MitraClip device on mitral valve geometry in patients with functional mitral regurgitation. Transesophageal echocardiography is crucial for guiding implantation and assessing acute procedural success. The findings show that the technique directly affects mitral valve geometry by increasing the coaptation length and area of the mitral leaflets, leading to a larger contribution of the anterior mitral leaflet to coaptation. Show less
Severe secondary MR is known to be associated with a worse prognosis, whilst the effect of reducing MR on prognosis has still been unclear. The question remains what influences the prognosis of... Show moreSevere secondary MR is known to be associated with a worse prognosis, whilst the effect of reducing MR on prognosis has still been unclear. The question remains what influences the prognosis of these patients: is it the LV or the valve (i.e. the MR)? Characterization and risk-stratification of patients with secondary MR therefore remains challenging. Until recently the decision to intervene for secondary MR was based also on the LVEF. However, LVEF is subject to many limitations. Advanced echocardiography, such as speckle tracking echocardiography, from which LVGLS could be derived has shown to be of much more diagnostic and prognostic value in various valvular heart disease and is currently being implemented more in valvular heart disease guidelines. This supports the fact that LVGLS can detect LV dysfunction in an earlier stage and therefore guide physicians to refer patients for intervention before it is too late. Also the mitral valve geometry has an important role in the technical feasibility of intervention, but also could elaborate on which specific transcatheter intervention is more appropriate according to their targets (i.e. leaflets, annulus or sub apparatus). Additionally, multimodality imaging remains key in characterization and quantification of secondary MR and may help further risk-stratification. Show less
Stassen, J.; Namazi, F.; Bijl, P. van der; Wijngaarden, S.E. van; Kamperidis, V.; Marsan, N.A.; ... ; Bax, J.J. 2022
Background: Left atrial (LA) size is a marker of disease severity and is related to worse outcomes in secondary mitral regurgitation (MR). The prognostic value of LA function assessed by LA... Show moreBackground: Left atrial (LA) size is a marker of disease severity and is related to worse outcomes in secondary mitral regurgitation (MR). The prognostic value of LA function assessed by LA reservoir strain (LARS), however, remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic implications of LARS in patients with significant secondary MR. Methods: LARS was evaluated using speckle-tracking echocardiography in patients with more than mild (grade >= 2) secondary MR. The population was divided into two groups according to the median LARS value (9.8%). The primary end point was all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 666 patients (mean age, 66 +/- 11 years; 68% men) were included. On multivariable analysis, more severe MR was independently associated with more impaired LARS (LARS < 9.8%; odds ratio, 0.419; 95% CI, 0.249-0.704; P = .001). During a median follow-up period of 5 years (interquartile range, 2-10), 383 patients (58%) died. Patients with LARS < 9.8% had significantly lower survival rates at 1-, 2-, and 5-year follow-up (85%, 70%, and 45%, respectively) compared with patients with LARS >= 9.8% (96%, 93%, and 78%, respectively; P<.001). After multivariable adjustment (including LA volume and left ventricular global longitudinal strain), more preserved LARS (>= 9.8%; hazard ratio, 0.499; 95% CI, 0.386-0.645; P<.001) was independently associated with lower all-cause mortality. LARS provided incremental prognostic value over LA volume and left ventricular global longitudinal strain. Conclusions: LARS is independently associated with all-cause mortality in patients with significant secondary MR and has incremental prognostic value over LA volume and left ventricular global longitudinal strain. LARS may improve risk stratification of patients with secondary MR. Show less
Background: Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a sensitive marker of LV function and may help identify patients with heart failure (HF) and secondary mitral regurgitation who... Show moreBackground: Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a sensitive marker of LV function and may help identify patients with heart failure (HF) and secondary mitral regurgitation who would have a better prognosis and are more likely to benefit from edge-to-edge transcatheter mitral valve repair with the MitraClip. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic utility of baseline LV GLS during 2-year follow-up of patients with HF with secondary mitral regurgitation enrolled in the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation trial. Methods: Patients with symptomatic HF with moderate to severe or severe secondary mitral regurgitation who remained symptomatic despite maximally tolerated guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) were randomized to transcatheter mitral valve repair plus GDMT or GDMT alone. Speckle-tracking-derived LV GLS from baseline echocardiograms was obtained in 565 patients and categorized in tertiles. Death and HF hospitalization at 2-year follow-up were the principal outcomes of interest. Results: Patients with better baseline LV GLS had higher blood pressure, greater LV ejection fraction and stroke volume, lower levels of B-type natriuretic peptide, and smaller LV size. No significant difference in outcomes at 2-year follow-up were noted according to LV GLS. However, the rate of death or HF hospitalization between 10 and 24 months was lower in patients with better LV GLS (P = .03), with no differences before 10 months. There was no interaction between GLS tertile and treatment group with respect to 2-year clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Baseline LV GLS did not predict death or HF hospitalization throughout 2-year follow-up, but it did predict outcomes after 10 months. The benefit of transcatheter mitral valve repair over GDMT alone was consistent in all subgroups irrespective of baseline LV GLS. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2021;34:955-65.) Show less
Namazi, F.; Bijl, P. van der; Vo, N.M.; Wijngaarden, S.E. van; Marsan, N.A.; Delgado, V.; Bax, J.J. 2021
Aims Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) is more frequent in men than in women. However, little is known about differences in prognosis between men and women with secondary MR. The objective of... Show moreAims Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) is more frequent in men than in women. However, little is known about differences in prognosis between men and women with secondary MR. The objective of this study is to investigate the sex distribution of secondary MR and the prognostic differences between sexes.Methods Patients with significant secondary MR, of both ischaemic and non-ischaemic aetiologies, were identified through the departmental electronic patient files and retrospectively analysed. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality.Results A total of 698 patients (mean age 66 +/- 11 years) with significant secondary MR were included: 471 (67%) men and 227 (33%) women. Ischaemic heart failure was significantly more common in men (61%), whereas non-ischaemic heart failure was more prevalent in women (63%). Women had significantly smaller left ventricular (LV) volumes when compared with men and more preserved LV systolic function when assessed with LV global longitudinal strain (GLS; 8.5 +/- 4.1% vs. 7.5 +/- 3.6%; P = 0.004). Women more often underwent surgical mitral valve repair (34%) when compared with men (26%), although no differences were observed for transcatheter mitral valve repair. During a median follow-up of 57 [interquartile range 29-110] months, 373 (53%) patients died. Women showed significantly lower mortality rates at 1-, 2- and 5-year follow-up (9%, 16% and 33% vs. 10%, 20% and 42%) when compared with men (P = 0.001).Conclusions Significant secondary MR is more frequently observed in men as compared with women and is associated with worse prognosis. Show less
Secondary (or functional) mitral regurgitation (SMR) occurs frequently in chronic heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, resulting from LV remodelling that... Show moreSecondary (or functional) mitral regurgitation (SMR) occurs frequently in chronic heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, resulting from LV remodelling that prevents coaptation of the valve leaflets. Secondary mitral regurgitation contributes to progression of the symptoms and signs of HF and confers worse prognosis. The management of HF patients with SMR is complex and requires timely referral to a multidisciplinary Heart Team. Optimization of pharmacological and device therapy according to guideline recommendations is crucial. Further management requires careful clinical and imaging assessment, addressing the anatomical and functional features of the mitral valve and left ventricle, overall HF status, and relevant comorbidities. Evidence concerning surgical correction of SMR is sparse and it is doubtful whether this approach improves prognosis. Transcatheter repair has emerged as a promising alternative, but the conflicting results of current randomized trials require careful interpretation. This collaborative position statement, developed by four key associations of the European Society of Cardiology-the Heart Failure Association (HFA), European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), and European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA)-presents an updated practical approach to the evaluation and management of patients with HF and SMR based upon a Heart Team approach. Show less
This thesis explored the diagnosis, management and prognosis of the most common valvular heart diseases: aortic stenosis (AS) and mitral regurgitation (MR) and enlightened their challenging types:... Show moreThis thesis explored the diagnosis, management and prognosis of the most common valvular heart diseases: aortic stenosis (AS) and mitral regurgitation (MR) and enlightened their challenging types: the discordant low-gradient severe AS and the secondary MR in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. This thesis provides new insights into the use of fusion aortic valve area index, by incorporating the measurement of left ventricular outflow tract area on cardiac computed tomography in the continuity equation, for the diagnosis of low-gradient AS. For the treatment of low-gradient AS, TAVR is shown to result in reverse LV remodeling and functional recovery. In comparison to other minimal invasive surgical methods it results in less prosthesis-patient-mismatch although paravalvular aortic regurgitation is a caveat. Regarding the diagnostic assessment of secondary MR due to LV dysfunction this thesis concluded that LV GLS reflects the real LV dysfunction while LVEF overestimates LV function without accounting for the forward LV flow. Mitral valve repair offers LV reverse remodeling and increase in forward flow when used for the treatment of this challenging condition. Regarding the prognostication of low-gradient AS and secondary MR this thesis advocates for the evaluation of the valvular calcium on cardiac computed tomography and the evaluation of LV GLS and forward flow that are associated with survival. Show less
Petrus, A.H.J.; Klautz, R.J.M.; Bonis, M. de; Langer, F.; Schafers, H.J.; Wakasa, S.; ... ; Braun, J. 2019
