College of Allied Health Professions

2 The Role of Computed Tomography in Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement Tammy Jones, Stephanie Lough. Faculty: Division of Radiation Science Technology Education, College of Allied Health Professions, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE According to the American Heart Association, aortic stenosis, which is the narrowing of the aortic valve opening, remains one of the most common and severe valve disease problems. While surgical valve replacement is a treatment option for some, not all patients are candidates due to comorbidities or high-risk of surgical mortality. Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement, or TAVR, is a safe alternative for surgical at-risk patients. Computed Tomography with its ability to acquire motion-free images at specific points in the cardiac cycle will play an increasing and crucial role contributing to the clinical evaluation of patients with aortic valve stenosis. Due to an increase in the frequency of TAVR procedures and the relative ease to evaluate viable surgical candidates, plan prosthetic deployment, and assess the success of the procedure after placement, CT’s role while increase dramatically in the years to come.