Successful Endovascular Stroke Rescue With Retrieval of an Embolized Calcium Fragment After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

A 90-year-old symptomatic woman with a critical aortic stenosis was referred for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). The procedure was performed under locoregional anesthesia from a right femoral approach, with the successful implantation of a 23-mm CoreValve (Medtronic Inc, Minneapolis, MN). Echocardiographic assessment after TAVR showed a mean transprosthetic gradient of 16 mm Hg and trace paravalvular regurgitation. After percutaneous closure of the right femoral artery, the patient suddenly became unresponsive. After prompt intubation, emergency cerebral MRI was performed to assess the presence of reversible ischemia and exclude parenchymal hemorrhage, showing partial occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery with ischemia in the corresponding territory (Figure 1). Conventional cerebral angiography confirmed partial M1-M2 occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (Figure 2A; Movie I in the Data Supplement). Complete revascularization …