Purpose of review: We review the pathology, prevalence, diagnosis, hemodynamics, risk factors, prognosis, and treatment of leaflet thrombosis (LT), and suggest future directions in this field.
Recent findings: The latest meta-analysis showed the prevalence of overall LT is 5.4% (clinical LT of 1.2% and subclinical LT of 15.1%). Either subclinical or clinical LT is not associated with risk of mortality; however, clinical LT is associated with increased risk of stroke. Although LT can be reduced by oral anticoagulation therapy (OAT), routine use of OAT as primary prevention for high-risk patients is not recommended due to increased risk of mortality. Four-dimensional computed tomography plays an important role in the diagnosis of LT and the accumulation of qualitative or qualitative assessments of hypoattenuated leaflet thickening would provide more clues to clarify effective OAT strategies. In addition, further studies are warranted to evaluate the efficacy of other anticoagulants in low-intermediate risk patients.
Keywords: Anticoagulation; Aortic stenosis; Hypoattenuated leaflet thickening; Prosthesis-patient mismatch; Transcatheter aortic valve replacement.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.