Transcatheter aortic-valve replacement (TAVR) offers a safer solution for patients with failing surgical aortic bioprosthetic valves at high risk for reoperation, according to an observational post-market study.

Surgical aortic valve replacement has often been the treatment of choice, but degeneration of the bioprosthetic valve may require reoperation, Dr Didier Tchetche, of the Clinique Pasteur in France, and colleagues write in JACC Cardiovascular Interventions.

In patients at high surgical risk, TAVR inside the failed surgical valve offers a less-invasive alternative.

To examine the real-world outcome of the approach, the researchers enrolled 202 patients (mean age 80 years) eligible for elective treatment with a Medtronic CoreValve or Evolut R self-expanding transcatheter aortic valve in the Valve-in-Valve (VIVA) single-armed study.