Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Planning with Cardiac CT: Protocols and Practical Tips

The advent of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has provided a feasible treatment option for high surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis and increasingly is also being implemented in intermediate- and low-risk patients. As such, pre-procedure planning with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is now widespread and represents an integral component in the success of this treatment with contributions to transcatheter valve selection, sizing and identification of adverse annular root features. This review provides insight into the CT protocols utilised to acquire meaningful data for analysis, as well as methods, practical tips and rationale for recommended aortic root and aortoiliofemoral measurements.