Angulation and curvature of aortic landing zone affect implantation depth in transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

In transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), final device position may be affected by device interaction with the whole aortic landing zone (LZ) extending to ascending aorta. We investigated the impact of aortic LZ curvature and angulation on TAVI implantation depth, comparing short-frame balloon-expanding (BE) and long-frame self-expanding (SE) devices. Patients (n = 202) treated with BE or SE devices were matched based on one-to-one propensity score. Primary endpoint was the mismatch between the intended (HPre) and the final (HPost) implantation depth. LZ curvature and angulation were calculated based on the aortic centerline trajectory available from pre-TAVI computed tomography. Total LZ curvature (