De Rosa R, Murray MI, Schranz D, et al. - In this study performed on patients (n = 104) with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and dilated left atrium (LA) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), researchers determined if TAVR led to a short-term reduction in LA size and if patients' clinical outcome may be predicted by such reduction. They performed echocardiography prior to and shortly after TAVR (median time: 7 days) in order to evaluate LA volume. They recorded a composite rate of mortality and hospitalization for acutely decompensated heart failure (HF) and evaluated clinical status via NYHA-class assessment at 12 months median follow-up. A reduction in LA volume was found in 49 patients (47%) post-TAVR. Findings revealed significantly higher rates of mortality and HF-hospitalization, as well as impaired improvement in clinical status during long-term follow-up, in correlation with lack of reduction in LA size shortly post-TAVR.