Valvuloplasty in 103 fetuses with critical aortic stenosis: outcome and new predictors for postnatal circulation

• Published in: Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology 2022-05, Vol.59 (5), p.633-641
• Main Authors: Tulzer, A., Arzt, W., Gitter, R., Sames‐Dolzer, E., Kreuzer, M., Mair, R., Tulzer, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aorta; Aortic stenosis; Aortic Valve Stenosis - diagnostic imaging; Aortic Valve Stenosis - surgery; Balloon Valvuloplasty - methods; Blood circulation; Cardiovascular disease; congenital heart disease; Criteria; critical aortic stenosis; Decision analysis; Echocardiography; evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome; Female; fetal cardiac intervention; fetal cardiology; Fetal Heart - diagnostic imaging; Fetuses; Gestational Age; Gynecology; Heart; Heart valves; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hypertension; Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome; Learning curves; Mitral valve; Obstetrics; Original Paper; Original Papers; Patients; Pregnancy; Regurgitation; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity; Statistical analysis; Treatment Outcome; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography, Prenatal; Ultrasound; Ventricle
• ISSN: 0960-7692; 1469-0705
• DOI: 10.1002/uog.24792

ABSTRACT ObjectivesTo review our experience with fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) in fetuses with critical aortic stenosis (CAS) and evolving hypoplastic left heart syndrome (eHLHS), including short‐ and medium‐term postnatal outcome, and to refine selection criteria for FAV by identifying preprocedural predictors of biventricular (BV) outcome. MethodsThis was a retrospective review of all fetuses with CAS and eHLHS undergoing FAV at our center between December 2001 and September 2020. Echocardiograms and patient charts were analyzed for pre‐FAV ventricular and valvular dimensions and hemodynamics and for postnatal procedures and outcomes. The primary endpoints were type of circulation 28 days after birth and at 1 year of age. Classification and regression‐tree analysis was performed to investigate the predictive capacity of pre‐FAV parameters for BV circulation at 1 year of age. ResultsDuring the study period, 103 fetuses underwent 125 FAVs at our center, of which 87.4% had a technically successful procedure. Technical success per fetus was higher in the more recent period (from 2014) than in the earlier period (96.2% (51/53) vs 78.0% (39/50); P = 0.0068). Eighty fetuses were liveborn after successful intervention and received further treatment. BV outcome at 1 year of age was achieved in 55% of liveborn patients in our cohort after successful FAV, which is significantly higher than the BV‐outcome rate (23.7%) in a previously published natural history cohort fulfilling the same criteria for eHLHS (P = 0.0015). Decision‐tree analysis based on the ratio of right to left ventricular (RV/LV) length combined with LV pressure (mitral valve regurgitation maximum velocity (MR‐Vmax)) had a sensitivity of 96.97% and a specificity of 94.44% for predicting BV outcome without signs of pulmonary arterial hypertension at 1 year of age. The highest probability for a BV outcome was reached for fetuses with a pre‐FAV RV/LV length ratio of