Malignant Findings in Candidates for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

In candidates for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), preoperative computed tomography (CT) may detect clinically relevant non-cardiac findings. In particular, when malignant findings are detected, patients may be less likely to undergo the procedure. Additionally, they might require further examinations, which may prolong their time to treatment. We investigated how malignant findings affect candidacy for TAVI.In this single-center retrospective study, 98 patients with severe aortic stenosis who had undergone preoperative CT between September 2013 and October 2016 were evaluated for malignant findings.Seven patients (7.1%) had malignant findings. 74 of 91 patients who did not have malignant findings underwent TAVI, SAVR, or balloon aortic valvuloplasty (81.3%). All patients who had malignant findings underwent TAVI or SAVR, and they underwent the procedure sooner after CT than the rest of the patients (mean time to TAVI or SAVR: 24.6 ± 16.8 versus 48.5 ± 45.4 days; P = .003). All 5 patients who had malignant findings without metastatic cancer and who underwent TAVI were still alive during the follow-up period (the mean duration of the follow-up period was 22.3 ± 8.8 months). However, 1 patient who had a malignant finding with metastatic cancer died 7 months after CT.Our outcomes indicated that the mean duration before TAVI or SAVR was reduced when malignant findings were detected by CT; and TAVI may be a safe and effective treatment for patients with aortic stenosis and a malignant tumor.