Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the heart's main outflow valve that forces the heart to work harder and eventually leads to heart failure and death if untreated. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) — a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery — has revolutionized treatment for this increasingly common condition.
What's actually going on in research
TAVR is now being tested in younger, lower-risk patients and even those with moderate (not yet severe) stenosis, as evidence mounts that earlier intervention may prevent heart muscle damage. New-generation transcatheter valves with improved durability and repositionability are being compared in head-to-head trials. Drugs targeting the calcification process that causes aortic stenosis — including LP(a)-lowering agents — are in early trials to see if disease progression can be slowed.
TAVR in younger patients
Transcatheter valve replacement was first approved for high-risk older patients; trials are now testing it in low-risk patients in their 50s and 60s and collecting 10-year durability data.
Earlier intervention
Trials are testing whether replacing the aortic valve in moderate stenosis — before symptoms develop — prevents irreversible heart muscle dysfunction and improves long-term outcomes.
Calcification prevention
LP(a)-lowering drugs and other agents targeting the biological pathway that calcifies the aortic valve are in early trials to see if they slow the progression to severe stenosis.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on stenosis severity (valve area, gradient), surgical risk score (STS score), age, frailty assessment, and anatomy on CT imaging.
What types of trials are currently open
- TAVR trials — Comparing transcatheter valve replacement devices, approaches, and patient populations.
- Surgical vs. TAVR trials — Directly comparing TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement in specific age and risk groups.
- Earlier intervention trials — Testing valve replacement in moderate aortic stenosis before standard treatment thresholds are met.
- Drug trials — Testing medications to slow aortic valve calcification and disease progression.
- Device trials — Evaluating new valve designs, deployment systems, and anticoagulation regimens after valve implantation.
Recently added Aortic Stenosis trials
Share your kidney health data before and after valve replacement
Both contrast-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and pre-existing chronic kidney disease are associated with an increased mortality risk in patients requiring aortic valve replacement. Nonetheless, the direct haemodynamic impact of the aortic barrage (i.e. pre-renal mechanism) on renal function compromising and its reversibility in patients undergoing trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is unknown. This registry aims to evaluate the effect of severe aortic stenosis removal on the risk of contrast-induced acute renal injury (CI-AKI) during TAVI procedures and on renal function evolution
Derivation and Validation of the Aortic Valve Echocardiographic Calcium Score to Confirm Severe Aortic Stenosis: the Echo-AVCS Study
The Echo-AVCS Study is an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicenter observational study designed to derive and validate an artificial intelligence (AI)-based echocardiographic aortic valve calcium score (Echo-AVCS) for confirming severe aortic stenosis (AS). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is the standard imaging modality for assessing AS severity; however, discrepancies between valve area and transvalvular gradient measurements may complicate diagnosis, particularly in low-flow or discordant AS presentations. Cardiac computed tomography (CT)-derived aortic valve calcium scoring is currently used to resolve diagnostic uncertainty, but it involves additional cost and radiation exposure. This study will enroll consecutive adult patients undergoing clinically indicated TTE and cardiac CT with calcium scoring performed within 3 months. Standardized echocardiographic images will be centrally analyzed using dedicated AI-based image segmentation and machine learning methods to quantify aortic valve calcification directly from TTE images. CT-derived aortic valve calcium score will serve as the reference standard. The primary objective is to derive and validate the Echo-AVCS score for identifying severe AS. Secondary objectives include determination of sex-specific diagnostic thresholds, correlation with CT calcium volume, association with symptoms and NYHA class, and evaluation of prognostic associations with aortic valve replacement, heart failure hospitalization, cardiovascular events, and mortality at 1-year follow-up.
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