Percutaneous Versus Surgical Interventions for Hepatic Cystic Echinococcosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose This systematic review and meta-analysis summarises the current literature on invasive treatment options of cystic hepatic echinococcosis (CE), comparing percutaneous radiological interventions to surgery, still the cornerstone of treatment in many countries. Methods A literature search was conducted in Medline and EMBASE databases (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019126150). The primary outcome was recurrence of cysts after treatment. Secondary outcomes were complications, duration of hospitalisation, mortality and treatment conversion. Results The number of eligible prospective studies, in particular RCTs, was limited. In the four included studies, only conventional surgery is compared directly to percutaneous techniques. From the available data, in terms of recurrence, percutaneous treatment of hydatid cysts is non-inferior to open surgery. With regard to complications and length of hospital stay, outcomes favour percutaneous therapy. Conclusion Although evidence from prospective research is small, percutaneous treatment in CE is an effective, safe and less invasive alternative to surgery.

Multimodality Imaging in Secondary Mitral Regurgitation

Secondary mitral regurgitation (sMR) is characterized by left ventricular (LV) dilatation or dysfunction, resulting in failure of mitral leaflet coaptation. sMR complicates up to 35% of ischaemic cardiomyopathies (1) and 57% of dilated cardiomyopathies (2). Due to the prevalence of coronary artery disease worldwide, ischaemic cardiomyopathy is the most frequently encountered cause of sMR in clinical practice. Although mortality from cardiovascular disease has gradually fallen in Western countries, severe sMR remains an independent predictor of mortality (3) and hospitalization for heart failure (4). The presence of even mild sMR following acute MI reduces long-term survival free of major adverse events (1). Such adverse outcomes worsen as the severity of sMR increases, due to a cycle in which LV remodeling begets sMR and vice versa. Current guidelines do not recommend invasive treatment of the sMR alone as a first-line approach, due to the paucity of evidence supporting improvement in clinical outcomes. Furthermore, a lack of international consensus on the thresholds that define severe sMR has resulted in confusion amongst clinicians determining whether intervention is warranted (5, 6). The recent Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT) trial (7) assessing the effectiveness of transcatheter mitral valve repair is the first study to demonstrate mortality benefit from correction of sMR and has reignited interest in identifying patients who would benefit from mitral valve intervention. Multimodality imaging, including echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), plays a key role in helping to diagnose, quantify, monitor, and risk stratify patients for surgical and transcatheter mitral valve interventions.

Abstract 14327: Tricuspid Valve Annular Area Correlations and Determinants in Healthy Controls and Patients With Severe Mitral Regurgitation

Introduction: Concomitant tricuspid valve (TV) repair during mitral valve (MV) surgery based on annular dilation rather than the degree of regurgitation (TR) has been shown to be beneficial and is supported by the guidelines. Hypothesis: Assess the correlations between tricuspid and mitral annular areas (TVA and MVA, respectively) indexed to body surface area (BSA) measured by cardiac computed tomography (CT), and identify the determinants of the TVA in normal and diseased states. Methods: We included 50 consecutive controls (no valvular heart disease undergoing coronary CTA), 50 primary mitral regurgitation (PMR) patients referred for robotic repair, and 25 functional MR (FMR) patients referred for percutaneous therapy, without significant associated TR (≤2+ TR). We used dedicated CT software (Aquarius, TeraRecon) to perform the annular measurements. A mid-diastolic phase acquisition (~70%) was used Results: Patients with FMR were older (median age [25th, 75th] = 70 years [63,77.5] vs. 55 [48,59] in PMR and 48 [38,55] in controls), had more clinical comorbidities, and lower ejection fraction (32% [23,40] vs. >60% in both other groups). TVA was significantly correlated to MVA in controls (r≥0.5; p<0.001), as well as in patients with PMR and FMR. (Figure 1). Table 1 shows the univariate correlations and multivariate determinants of the TVA. In the multivariate analysis, the MVA, RA area, and LVEDV were the independent predictors of TVA. Interestingly, the MVA was the most important predictor (β= 0.420, p<0.001). Conclusion: In individuals without valvular heart disease and in patients with severe MR (PMR and FMR) with ≤ 2+ TR, the TVA was largely determined by the MVA.

Clinical Trial Perspective: Cost-effectiveness of Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair Versus Medical Therapy in Patients with Heart Failure and Secondary Mitral Regurgitation. Results From the COAPT Trial

Treatment of secondary (or functional) mitral regurgitation had traditionally been limited to optimal medical therapy because studies have failed to show a survival benefit with mitral valve surgery for this condition. However, recently the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT) trial demonstrated a significant decrease in heart failure hospitalizations and mortality in patients with severe secondary mitral regurgitation treated with percutaneous edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TMVr) using the MitraClip device compared with medical therapy. Based o the results of the COAPT trial, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for MitraClip treatment of patients with severe secondary mitral regurgitation in March 2019. In an attempt to understand the economic impact of treating this patient population with TMVr using the MitraClip device, a formal cost-effectiveness analysis was performed alongside the COAPT trial. This review summarizes the methods and results of the economic substudy of the COAPT trial and discusses the value of the MitraClip device from the perspective of the US healthcare system in the treatment of patients with symptomatic heart failure and secondary mitral regurgitation.

Treatment of Secondary Mitral Regurgitation in Heart Failure: A Shifting Paradigm in the Wake of the COAPT Trial

Secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) is common in patients with left heart dysfunction and it is associated with poor outcomes. Findings from the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT) trial, published in 2018, suggest that in a subset of people with heart failure with secondary MR that persists despite optimization of guideline-directed medical therapies, there is now a role for percutaneous mitral valve repair using the MitraClip device. Defining which patients are most likely to benefit from MitraClip, and when, requires both a multidisciplinary approach centered on heart failure, as well as a recognition of the need for further research in this area.

Contemporary Management of Secondary Mitral Regurgitation

Secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) is a common occurrence in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Moderate-severe or severe SMR is associated with increased mortality and hospitalisations from heart failure. Medical and cardiac resynchronisation therapies have been the only treatments proven to improve prognosis in this patient population. The Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy (COAPT) and the Percutaneous Repair with the MitraClip Device for Severe Functional/Secondary Mitral Regurgitation (MITRA-FR) RCTs evaluated transcatheter mitral valve repair with MitraClip for treatment of SMR in addition to medical therapy and they had divergent results. The COAPT trial demonstrated that a reduction in SMR with MitraClip resulted in reduced mortality and heart failure hospitalisations along with improved symptoms and quality of life in appropriately selected patients. The MITRA-FR trial did not show any benefit from using MitraClip for patients with SMR. This article summarises the differences in these two trials and suggests a contemporary approach to the management of SMR.