Transcatheter Mitral and Tricuspid Interventions: a Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Study

Mitral and tricuspid valve disease represents an increasing challenge in the management of patients with heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. In recent years, the introduction of transcatheter techniques for valve repair and replacement (TVI) has revolutionised the treatment of these diseases, particularly for patients at high surgical risk or who are not candidates for traditional surgery. However, although these procedures are increasingly popular, their long-term effectiveness in terms of cardiac remodelling is still not well understood.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) techniques, with their advanced capabilities to provide anatomical and functional details of the heart, offer a unique opportunity to assess ventricular remodelling and valve function before and after transcatheter interventions. The ESC guidelines on valvulopathies published in 2021 recommend the use of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging not only to quantify the extent of mitral and tricuspid regurgitation when echocardiography is inconclusive, but also as the gold standard for the assessment of left and right ventricular size and function (limited, however, to the availability of this method in the various centres). Currently, there are few systematic data evaluating the effect of these procedures on CMR-assessed cardiac anatomy and function. This study aims to fill this gap by creating a multicentre registry in which clinical and advanced imaging data, including 3D echocardiography and CMR, are collected to assess the impact of these therapies.

Analysis of data derived from advanced imaging will not only provide a better understanding of the mechanism of operation of transcatheter techniques, but will also provide important information for improving long-term patient outcomes by identifying potential predictors of treatment success or failure.