Incident aortic root dilatation in the general population

OBJECTIVES: Prevalence, clinical significance, and long-term consequences of aortic root (AoR) dilatation in competitive athletes are not yet investigated. Our aim was to assess the distribution and determinants of AoR size in a large population of competitive athletes. METHODS: AoR dimension were assessed by echocardiography in 2,361 athletes participating in 48 different sports. Of them, 43 were excluded because aortic structural abnormalities, such as bicuspid aortic valve, Marfan’s Syndrome, aortic prosthesis. The remaining 2,318, including 1,301 (56%) males and 1,017 (44%) females were the study population. Arbitrary cut-off of ≥ 40 mm, according to #36 th Bethesda Conference, was used as upper normal limits for AoR. RESULTS: AoR dimension was 32.2 ± 2.7 mm (23 to 44) in males, and 27.5 ± 2.6 mm (20 to 36) in females. AoR dimension exceeded accepted upper limits in only 18 male athletes (0.8%). Figure . Multivariate regression analysis showed left ventricular (LV) mass and body size explaining majority of AoR variability (R 2 = 0,59). Surprisingly, type of sport was not a determinant for AoR dimension. The 18 athletes with enlarged AoR were periodically followed for 7.0 ± 4.2 years. None developed cardiovascular events or symptoms. Two showed progression of AoR dilatation (from 40 to 48, and 43 to 46 mm, respectively), one had incident myocarditis and one developed moderate aortic regurgitation with enlarged LV cavity. CONCLUSIONS: Dilated aortic root is an uncommon finding in competitive athletes and do not represent expression of physiologic cardiac remodelling of the athlete’s heart. Therefore, athletes with dilated AoR deserves continued clinical surveillance.

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Abstract 5769: Correlation of Bicuspid Valve Morphology and Pattern of Aortic Root Dilatation: A Substudy of the Aortic Stenosis Progression Observation Measuring Effects of Rosuvastatin (ASTRONOMER) Study

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.118.suppl_18.s_998-b ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 118 (suppl_18) ◽

Author(s):

Kapil M Bhagirath ◽

Davinder S Jassal ◽

James W Tam ◽

Randy A Sochowski ◽

Jean G Dumesnil ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aortic Stenosis ◽

Aortic Root ◽

Type A ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Doppler Imaging ◽

Type B ◽

Root Parameters ◽

Standardized Protocol ◽

Aortic Root Dilatation ◽

Annular Calcification

Bicuspid aortic valve is the leading cause of aortic stenosis in patients younger than the age of 50. A classification scheme of bicuspid aortic valves (BAV) was recently proposed based upon leaflet orientation: Type A (fusion of right and left coronary cusps) and Type B (fusion of right and non-coronary cusps). The correlation between BAV leaflet orientation and aortic root pathology however remains ill defined. To describe a potential relationship between BAV leaflet morphology and aortic root measurements in the ASTRONOMER study, a multicentre study to assess the effect of Rosuvastatin on the progression of AS. Transthoracic echocardiography was performed with 2D and Doppler imaging following a standardized protocol. BAV morphology was classified as Type A or Type B orientation following review of the parasternal short-axis view. Echo measurements including left ventricular and aortic root dimensions were obtained according to the ASE recommendations. We identified 89 patients (56±11 years; 44 males). There were 63 patients with Type A and 26 with Type B BAV. Baseline demographic, hemodynamics, aortic root and left heart dimensions are listed in Table 1 . Patients with Type A BAV had larger aortic and ascending root dimensions than those patients with Type B BAV (p<0.05). Aortic valvular calcification and mitral annular calcification were similar between the two groups. All values are expressed as mean±SD. In patients with mild to moderate asymptomatic BAV, the presence of Type A valve orientation was associated with significantly greater aortic root parameters compared to Type B valve orientation. Whether the morphology of BAV may predict a subset of patients who will respond to statin therapy in preventing the progression of AS remains to be determined upon completion of the ASTRONOMER trial.

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