Faculty Opinions recommendation of Transoesophageal echocardiography for prediction of postoperative atrial fibrillation after isolated aortic valve replacement: two-dimensional speckle tracking for intraoperative assessment of left ventricular longitudinal strain.

Abstract Aortic valve calcium scoring by cardiac computed tomographic (CT) has been recommended as an alternative to classify the AS severity, but it is unclear that whether CT findings can predict and have prognostic implication in low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis (LF-LG AS), which has fewer benefit from surgery among the AS subtypes. In this study, we examined the clinical and cardiac CT findings of LF-LG AS patients and evaluated factors affecting outcomes after surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR). This study included 511 (66.9±8.8 years, 55% men) consecutive patients with severe AS who underwent surgical AVR. Aortic valve area (AVA) was obtained by echocardiography (AVAecho) and by CT (AVACT) using each modalities measurement of the left ventricular outflow tract. Patients with AS were classified as 1) high-gradient severe (n=438), 2) classic LF-LG (n=18), and 3) paradoxical LF-LG (n=55) based on echocardiography. Classic LF-LG AS patients had higher end-systolic and end-diastolic volume indices, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, larger AVAecho and AVACT, and larger aortic annulus compared to high-gradient severe AS (P<0.05, for all). In classic LF-LG AS group, 27.8% of patients presented AVACT≥1.2 cm2. After multivariable adjustment, old age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.04, P=0.049), high B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) (HR, 1.005; P<0.001), preoperative atrial fibrillation (HR, 2.75; P=0.003), classic LF-LG AS (HR, 5.53, P=0.004), and small aortic annulus (HR, 0.57; P=0.002) were independently associated with major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The classic LF-LG AS group presented larger AVACT and aortic annulus than those in high-gradient severe AS group and one third of them had AVACT ≥1.2 cm2. Old age, high BNP, atrial fibrillation, classic LF-LG AS, and small aortic annulus were associated with MACCE in severe AS patients after surgical AVR.

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Changes in dynamic left ventricular function, assessed by the strain-volume loop, relate to reverse remodeling after aortic valve replacement

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00190.2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 127 (2) ◽

pp. 415-422

Author(s):

Hugo G. Hulshof ◽

Frederieke van Oorschot ◽

Arie P. van Dijk ◽

Maria T. E. Hopman ◽

Keith P. George ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Aortic Valve ◽

Aortic Valve Replacement ◽

Valve Replacement ◽

Longitudinal Strain ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Lv Function ◽

Lv Mass ◽

Insight Into

Aortic valve replacement (AVR) leads to remodeling of the left ventricle (LV). Adopting a novel technique to examine dynamic LV function, our study explored whether post-AVR changes in dynamic LV function and/or changes in aortic valve characteristics are associated with LV mass regression during follow-up. We retrospectively analyzed 30 participants with severe aortic stenosis who underwent standard transthoracic echocardiographic assessment before AVR [88 (IQR or interquartile range: 22–143) days], post-AVR [13 (6–22) days], and during follow-up [455 (226–907) days]. We assessed standard measures of LV structure, function, and aortic valve characteristics. Novel insight into dynamic LV function was provided through a four-chamber image by examination of the temporal relation between LV longitudinal strain (ε) and volume (ε-volume loops), representing the contribution of LV mechanics to volume change. AVR resulted in immediate changes in structural valve characteristics, alongside a reduced LV longitudinal peak ε and improved coherence between the diastolic and systolic part of the ε-volume loop (all P < 0.05). Follow-up revealed a decrease in LV mass ( P < 0.05) and improvements in LV ejection fraction and LV longitudinal peak ε ( P < 0.05). A significant relationship was present between decline in LV mass during follow-up and post-AVR improvement in coherence of the ε-volume loops ( r = 0.439, P = 0.03), but not with post-AVR changes in aortic valve characteristics or LV function (all P > 0.05). We found that post-AVR improvements in dynamic LV function are related to long-term remodeling of the LV. This highlights the potential importance of assessing dynamic LV function for cardiac adaptations in vivo. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Combining temporal measures of left ventricular longitudinal strain and volume (strain-volume loop) provides novel insights in dynamic cardiac function. In patients with aortic stenosis who underwent aortic valve replacement, postsurgical changes in the strain-volume loop are associated with regression of left ventricular mass during follow-up. This provides novel insight into the relation between postsurgery changes in cardiac hemodynamics and long-term structural remodeling, but also supports the potential utility of the assessment of dynamic cardiac function.

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