In order to avoid coronary obstruction—a rare but “nasty” complication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI)—operators should have more than one technique in their arsenal.
This is according to Antonio Mangieri (Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy), who presented the findings of a real-world analysis of two such techniques—chimney stenting and BASILICA—at EuroPCR 2023 (16–19 May, Paris, France).
Mangieri spoke to Cardiovascular News to unpack the findings of the study, explaining that chimney stenting, is a relatively simple technique, but describes BASILICA, in which catheters and guidewires are used to first traverse, then lacerate, the aortic leaflet in front of the threatened coronary artery, as a more “elegant” solution.
The study of the two techniques showed both to be effective, but also highlighted important differences between the approaches.
