Prognostic Implications of Associated Cardiac Abnormalities Detected on Echocardiography in Patients With Moderate Aortic Stenosis

Background: Assessing the true severity of aortic stenosis (AS) remains a challenge, particularly when echocardiography yields discordant results. Recent European and American guidelines recommend measuring aortic valve calcium (AVC) by multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) to improve this assessment.Aim: To define, using a standardized MDCT scanning protocol, the optimal AVC load criteria for truly severe AS in patients with concordant echocardiographic findings, to establish the ability of these criteria to predict clinical outcomes, and to investigate their ability to delineate truly severe AS in patients with discordant echocardiographic AS grading.Methods and Results: Two hundred and sixty-six patients with moderate-to-severe AS and normal LVEF prospectively underwent MDCT and Doppler-echocardiography to assess AS severity. In patients with concordant AS grading, ROC analysis identified optimal cut-off values for diagnosing severe AS using different AVC load criteria. In these patients, 4-year event-free survival was better with low AVC load (60–63%) by these criteria than with high AVC load (23–26%, log rank p < 0.001). Patients with discordant AS grading had higher AVC load than those with moderate AS but lower AVC load than those with severe high-gradient AS. Between 36 and 55% of patients with severe LG-AS met AVC load criteria for severe AS. Although AVC load predicted outcome in these patients as well, its prognostic impact was less than in patients with concordant AS grading.Conclusions: Assessment of AVC load accurately identifies truly severe AS and provides powerful prognostic information. Our data further indicate that patients with discordant AS grading consist in a heterogenous group, as evidenced by their large range of AVC load. MDCT allows to differentiate between truly severe and pseudo-severe AS in this population as well, although the prognostic implications thereof are less pronounced than in patients with concordant AS grading.

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Abstract 4290: Risk Factors and Prognostic Implications of Mitral Regurgitation in Severe Aortic Stenosis

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.118.suppl_18.s_859-d ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽

Author(s):

Padmini Varadarajan ◽

Ramdas G Pai

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Aortic Valve ◽

Mitral Regurgitation ◽

Aortic Stenosis ◽

Independent Predictor ◽

Severe Aortic Stenosis ◽

Aortic Valve Area ◽

List Type ◽

Prognostic Implications ◽

Valve Area

Introduction: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is present in nearly half of the patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Risk factors for its development and its prognostic implications are not clear. Methods: Search of our echocardiographic database between 1993 to 2003 yielded 740 patients with severe AS defined as aortic valve area (AVA) ≤ 0.8cm2. Thorough chart reviews were conducted to collect clinical and pharmacological data. Mortality data was obtained from National death index. Results: Patient characteristics: age 74±13 years; females 60%, EF 54±20%, aortic valve area 0.67±0.17 cm2. MR grade ≥2+ were present in 339 (46%) patients: 2+ in 166 (22%), 3+ in 115 (16%) and 4+ in 58 (8%). There was a progressive decrease in survival with each grade of MR in the whole cohort as well as the surgically and medically treated subsets (p<0.0001, figure ). Presence of 3 and 4+ MR was associated with a larger LV (p<0.0001), lower EF (p<0.0001), greater age (p=0.0001), a smaller aortic valve area (p=0.001) and female gender (p=0.003). It remained an independent predictor of lower survival after adjusting for group differences using the Cox regression model. There was a lower AVR rate in those with 3 or 4+ MR compared to the rest (32 vs. 41%, p=0.03) despite a distinct independent survival advantage with AVR (RR 0.40, p<0.0001). Conclusion: Significant MR is present in nearly half of the patients with severe AS. The risk factors for its development include age, greater AS severity and LV dysfunction. It is an independent predictor of reduced survival.

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