Afterload mismatch in aortic and mitral valve disease: implications for surgical therapy

In the management of patients with valvular heart disease, an understanding of the effects of altered loading conditions on the left ventricle is important in reaching a proper decision concerning the timing of corrective operation. In acquired valvular aortic stenosis, concentric hypertrophy generally maintains left ventricular chamber size and ejection fraction within normal limits, but in late stage disease function can deteriorate as preload reserve is lost and aortic stenosis progresses. In this setting, even when the ejection fraction is markedly reduced (less than 25%), it can improve to normal after aortic valve replacement, suggesting that afterload mismatch rather than irreversibly depressed myocardial contractility was responsible for left ventricular failure. Therefore, patients with severe aortic stenosis and symptoms should not be denied operation because of impaired cardiac function. In chronic severe aortic and mitral regurgitation, operation is generally recommended when symptoms are present, but whether to recommend operation to prevent irreversible myocardial damage in patients with few or no symptoms has remained controversial. In aortic regurgitation, left ventricular function generally improves postoperatively, even if it is moderately impaired preoperatively, indicating correction of afterload mismatch. Most such patients can be carefully followed by echocardiography. However, in some patients, severe left ventricular dysfunction fails to improve postoperatively. Therefore, when echocardiographic studies in the patient with severe aortic regurgitation show an ejection fraction of less than 40% (fractional shortening less than 25%) plus enlarging left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (approaching 38 mm/m2 body surface area) and end-systolic diameter (approaching 50 mm or 26 mm/m2), confirmation of these findings by cardiac catheterization and consideration of operation are advisable even in patients with minimal symptoms. In chronic mitral regurgitation, maintenance of a normal ejection fraction can mask depressed myocardial contractility. Pre- and postoperative studies in such patients have shown a poor clinical result after mitral valve replacement, associated with a sharp decrease in the ejection fraction after operation. This response appears to reflect unmasking of decreased myocardial contractility by mitral valve replacement, with ejection of the total stroke volume into the high impedance of the aorta (afterload mismatch produced by operation).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Different rates of progression of heart valve defects

In order to determine the rate of progression in valvular heart disease, the records of patients with simple valve lesions and two cardiac catheterizations performed prior to surgery were examined retrospectively. In 53 patients (mitral regurgitation n = 16, aortic regurgitation n = 13, mitral stenosis n = 13, aortic stenosis n = 11) complete data were available. The time interval between the two studies averaged 47 +/- 24 months. In patients with mitral regurgitation left ventricular ejection fraction deteriorated significantly faster than in the other groups; the rate of left ventricular volume gain and rise in pulmonary pressure also tended to be higher in this group. The transvalvular gradient in aortic stenosis showed a highly significant increase during the observation period (56 +/- 26 mm Hg vs 78 +/- 29 mm Hg; p less than 0.01), however, left ventricular ejection fraction remained within normal limits. These data indicate that patients with mitral regurgitation should be followed closely prior to valve replacement.     

Prognostic significance of preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction and valve lesion in patients with aortic valve replacement

After aortic valve replacement, depressed left ventricular function, as assessed from the preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, has been reported to improve significantly in patients with aortic stenosis, but to improve little or to a lesser degree In patients with aortic regurgitation. Accordingly, the effect of preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction and other variables on postoperative survival was examined in 229 patients after aortic valve replacement. The preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac index and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure were found not to affect the 3 year postoperative survival rate in patients with aortic stenosis and mixed aortic valve disease. However, patients with aortic regurgitation and a left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 0.50 had a significantly poorer 3 year survival rate (64 ± 10 percent) than patients with aortic regurgitation and an ejection fraction of 0.50 or more (91 ± 8 percent) (p <0.02). The 3 year postoperative survival rate in patients with a reduced cardiac index (less than 2.5 liters/min per m²) and aortic regurgitation was also significantly lower (63 ± 10 percent) than the rate in patients with aortic regurgitation and a normal cardiac index (p <0.02). There was less significance in the difference between the 3 year postoperative survival rate of patients with aortic regurgitation whose left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was 15 mm Hg or less and those whose pressure was greater than 15 mm Hg (p <0.05). Thus, it may be advisable to monitor left ventricular ejection fraction noninvasively in patients with aortic regurgitation and to advise aortic valve replacement before the ejection fraction becomes severely depressed.     

Factors determining early improvement in mitral regurgitation after aortic valve replacement for aortic valve stenosis: a transthoracic and transesophageal prospective study

BACKGROUND: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is frequently associated with aortic stenosis. Previous reports have shown that coexisting mitral insufficiency can potentially regress after aortic valve replacement. HYPOTHESIS: This study sought to assess the frequency and severity of MR before and after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and to define the determinants of its postoperative evolution. METHODS: For this purpose, 30 adult patients referred for aortic valve surgery underwent pre- and postoperative transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography and color Doppler examination. RESULTS: Mean preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction was 57 +/- 16% and remained unchanged postoperatively. Preoperative MR was usually mild to moderate and correlated with aortic stenosis severity and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The color Doppler mitral regurgitant jet area significantly decreased during the postoperative period (p = 0.016) as left ventricular loading conditions returned to normal, suggesting an early decrease of the functional part of MR. On the other hand, the mitral regurgitant jet width at the origin remained unchanged. Statistical analysis found pulmonary artery pressure (p = 0.02) an d indexed left ventricular mass (p = 0.009) to be preoperative predictive factors of postoperative MR improvement. Predictive factors of postoperative MR severity were left atrial diameter (p = 0.02), pulmonary artery pressure (p = 0.003), and the presence of mitral calcifications (p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: In our cohort of patients with normal left venticular ejection fraction, the majority of moderate MR, associated with severe aortic stenosis, regresses early after aortic valve replacement. Mitral calcifications and/or left atrial dilation seem to be predictive factors of fixed MR.     

Indications for heart valve replacement

Proper evaluation of the patient with valvular heart disease begins with a thorough history and physical examination. Today, sophisticated noninvasive tests--especially echocardiography with color flow Doppler imaging--complement the information gained at cardiac catheterization. Information previously available only through cardiac catheterization can now be obtained from these noninvasive techniques. Serial evaluations can be performed, which are important in managing lesions of borderline hemodynamic significance and in avoiding subclinical deterioration of left ventricular contractility. Improvements in surgical expertise and intraoperative myocardial preservation allow postoperative improvement for patients with aortic stenosis and aortic insufficiency despite the presence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Many traditional indicators of a poor operative result in aortic insufficiency appear less reliable today. Consequently, these indicators should never be viewed in isolation or be given preeminence over clinical judgment. The long-term results following aortic valvuloplasty have been disappointing. However, mitral valvuloplasty--for technically suitable types of mitral stenosis--is an attractive alternative to surgery. Echocardiography may be helpful in selecting patients best suited for this technique. The timing of valve replacement in mitral insufficiency is made difficult by the altered loading conditions which can mask underlying contractile dysfunction. In this regard, the use of end-systolic measurements (e.g., end-systolic stress-volume ratio) more accurately characterized left ventricular contractility. When mitral insufficiency patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction require surgery, valve repair appears superior to traditional mitral valve replacement. With valve repair, the postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction is usually higher, as left ventricular contractile reserve is better maintained.     

Cardio-pulmonary exercise testing in the evaluation of mitral and aortic valve incompetence

Cardio-pulmonary exercise (CPX) testing can be used to discern the functional integrity of the right and left heart and pulmonary circulation in patients with chronic mitral or aortic valvular incompetence. The noninvasive determination of VO2 max and anaerobic threshold in these patients serves to assess the severity of chronic circulatory failure and to predict the maximum exercise cardiac output (or cardiac reserve). Invasive monitoring of right heart pressures and left ventricular filling (wedge) pressure identifies abnormalities in ventricular function and the pulmonary circulation that may not be otherwise apparent. Noninvasive and invasive CPX testing is therefore a valuable tool which can also be applied to the serial evaluation of these patients. CPX offers several advantages over traditional indices of ventricular function (e.g., resting cardiac output, filling pressure and ejection fraction) in that it objectively identifies the patients functional status, the heart's pumping reserve, and the integrity of the cardio-pulmonary unit. The utility of CPX, however, in assessing an early and subtle decline in left ventricular function and its ability to predict the appropriate timing for valve replacement in chronic mitral or aortic valvular incompetence remains to be elucidated.     

Minimally invasive transaortic mitral valve repair during aortic valve replacement

Herein, we report the case of a 77-year-old man who presented with congestive heart failure. Echocardiography and cardiac catheterization revealed severe aortic stenosis with severe mitral regurgitation and a left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.20. Because of comorbidities, the patient was considered to be at high risk for double-valve surgery. In order to reduce the operative risk, a minimally invasive aortic valve replacement was performed together with a transaortic edge-to-edge repair (Alfieri stitch) of the mitral valve. We discuss the surgical technique and note the positive outcome. To our knowledge, this is the 1st report of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement and transaortic mitral valve repair with use of the Alfieri stitch.     

Relation between hemodynamics and ventricular arrhythmia in patients with heart valve diseases

The incidence and severity of ventricular arrhythmias were compared with hemodynamic findings of cardiac catheterization, in 160 patients with mitral and aortic valve disease. All patients underwent right and left heart catheterization, as well as M-mode and 2D-echocardiography, and 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Out of 160 patients, 68 had mitral valve disease and 92 had aortic valve disease. In mitral regurgitation the degree and frequency of ventricular arrhythmias showed a positive correlation to the degree of regurgitation (rs = 0.44, rs = 0.56, respectively) and a negative correlation to left ventricular ejection fraction (rs = -0.49, rs = -0.57) and to cardiac index (rs = 0.48, rs = 0.53). In aortic valve disease the incidence and severity of ventricular arrhythmias were not related to the type of valve lesion, to the transvalvular pressure gradient nor to the degree of regurgitation. In aortic stenosis, the degree of arrhythmia showed a negative correlation to left ventricular ejection fraction (rs = 0.55) and a positive correlation to left ventricular endsystolic volume index (rs = 0.40) and to peak systolic left ventricular wall stress (rs = 0.59). In aortic regurgitation the number of ventricular arrhythmias showed a negative correlation to left ventricular ejection fraction (rs = -0.43) and a positive correlation to left ventricular endsystolic volume index (rs = 0.43) and to peak systolic left ventricular wall stress (rs = 0.37). These data demonstrate that the incidence and severity of ventricular arrhythmias, in patients with aortic valve disease and mitral regurgitation, are strongly associated with the impairment of left ventricular function.     

Effect of additional valve lesions on left ventricular ejection time in aortic stenosis.

Rate-corrected left ventricular ejection time was measured from the aortic pressure tracings of 171 catheterised patients with aortic valve area less than or equal to 1.2 cm2. In 50 patients with pure aortic stenosis, left ventricular ejection time in increased with decreasing valve area and was significantly higher (468 +/- 5 ms, mean +/- SEM) than in 13 normal subjects (435 +/- 5 ms). Additional aortic regurgitation in 72 patients further increased the left ventricular ejection time to 484 +/- 4 ms. Significant mitral stenosis (mitral valve are less than or equal to 1.2 cm2) in 6 patients with aortic stenosis and 33 patients with aortic stenosis and regurgitation reduced the left ventricular ejection time to normal. Similarly, severe mitral regurgitation in 3 patients with aortic stenosis and regurgitation reduced left ventricular ejection time to normal, though slight or moderate mitral regurgitation in 4 of these patients did not. These data show that the prolonged left ventricular ejection time in aortic valve disease may be restored to normal in the presence of coexisting significant mitral disease.     

Should a Regurgitant Mitral Valve Be Replaced Simultaneously with a Stenotic Aortic Valve?

Mitral valve regurgitation frequently accompanies aortic valve stenosis. It has been suggested that mitral regurgitation improves after aortic valve replacement alone and that the mitral valve need not be replaced simultaneously Furthermore, mitral regurgitation associated with coronary artery disease, particularly in patients with poor left ventricular function, shows immediate improvement after coronary artery bypass grafting. We studied 60 consecutive patients with aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation to determine the degree of improvement in mitral regurgitation after aortic valve replacement alone versus aortic valve replacement combined with coronary artery bypass grafting. Thirty-six of the patients had normal coronary arteries (Group 1); the other 24 had symptomatic coronary artery disease requiring bypass surgery (Group 2). Echocardiography was performed preoperatively, 1 week postoperatively, and at follow-up. In Group 1, left ventricular ejection fraction did not improve early or at 2.5 months postoperatively, but mitral regurgitation improved gradually during follow-up. In Group 2, mitral regurgitation showed improvement 1 week postoperatively (p < 0.001), and left ventricular ejection fraction was improved at 2.5 months. We conclude that patients with aortic valve stenosis and mild-to-severe mitral regurgitation, without echocardiographic signs of chordal or papillary muscle rupture and without coronary artery disease, should undergo aortic valve replacement alone. The mitral regurgitation will remain the same or improve. For patients with coexisting coronary artery disease, simultaneous aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting are imperative; however, the mitral valve again requires no intervention, since mitral regurgitation improves significantly after the other 2 procedures.     

Perioperative circulating blood volume and cardiac function in valve disease

Circulating blood volume is important in managing fluid balance and cardiac function after surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass. Appropriate management differs among the valve disorders, but perioperative blood volume has not yet been considered. From February 2001 to March 2003, perioperative blood volume, fluid balance, cardiac index, and left ventricular stroke work index were measured in 31 patients: 10 with aortic stenosis, 9 with aortic regurgitation, 3 with mitral stenosis, and 9 with mitral regurgitation. All immediate postoperative blood volume measurements were less than preoperative values, and gradually returned to baseline. At all time points, blood volume in patients with aortic or mitral regurgitation was high, whereas it was low in those with stenosis, especially mitral stenosis. Fluid balance was positive in all patients. Postoperatively, there was a positive correlation between cardiac index and blood volume in all groups. The left ventricular stroke work index in the mitral regurgitation group was significantly higher than other groups, the aortic stenosis group was slightly lower, the mitral stenosis and mitral regurgitation groups were higher than the baseline, and the aortic regurgitation group was essentially unchanged. Thus, it is necessary to consider blood volume perioperatively in different valvular diseases to manage water balance.     

Hemodynamic predictors of outcome in patients undergoing valve replacement

The afterload-corrected end-systolic volume index (ratio of end-systolic stress to end-systolic volume index [ESS/ESVI]) was previously useful in predicting outcome in patients with mitral regurgitation undergoing valve replacement. Therefore we tested ESS/ESVI together with standard hemodynamic variables as possible predictors of outcome in 39 patients with various valvular lesions who underwent valve replacement. Thirteen patients had preoperative mitral regurgitation, 16 had aortic stenosis, nine had aortic regurgitation, and one had mitral stenosis. Twenty-seven patients (group S) had a satisfactory outcome as defined by a return to NYHA class I or II together with a normal postoperative ejection fraction. Twelve patients who died, remained in class III or IV, or had a subnormal postoperative ejection fraction were deemed to have an unsatisfactory result (group U). Mean right atrial pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, end-diastolic volume index, end-systolic volume index (ESVI), and end-systolic wall stress were all greater in group U, whereas ESS/ESVI and ejection fraction were lower in group U. When these and other factors were submitted to stepwise discriminant multivariate analysis, ESS/ESVI and ESVI were the only independent predictors of outcome. However, when patients with mitral regurgitation (who might have biased the study) were excluded, discriminant analysis showed ESVI as the only independent predictive variable. We conclude that end-systolic indicators of ventricular function are superior to other standard hemodynamic variables in predicting outcome of valve replacement.     

Impaired left ventricular function in chronic aortic valve disease: survival and function after replacement by Bj?rk-Shiley prosthesis.

Postoperative survival and left ventricular function were studied in 128 patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement by the Bj?rk-Shiley valve between 1973 and 1977. The average follow-up was 2.1 years. Patients with associated coronary artery disease or mitral valve disease were excluded. Preoperative ejection fraction ranged from 15-84%. Forty-two patients were restudied by cardiac catheterization 9.1 +/- 1.1 months (mean +/- SEM) after valve replacement. The hospital mortality was 11%. Preoperative type of valve lesion, functional class, cardiothoracic ratio, and ejection fraction (EF) had no significant effect on postoperative survival up to 4 years. After operation, left ventricular mass (LVMI) and peak systolic wall stress (PSWS) fell significantly, while EF and mean normalized systolic ejection rate (MNSER) increased in aortic stenosis and in aortic insufficiency. Neither in aortic stenosis nor in aortic insufficiency was there a significant relation between preoperative ejection fraction and postoperative LVMI, EF, MNSER and PSWS. We attributed this to a marked improvement of left ventricular function in patients with preoperative impaired ventricular function. Six patients with paravalvular leak to restudy has a significantly lower EF and MNSER, and a higher PSWS than patients without leak. Patients without leak had normal EF, MNSER and PSWS when compared with 10 normal persons, but LVMI remained moderately elevated. Postoperative transprosthetic gradient was 11.9 mm Hg (range 0-64 mm Hg). We conclude that impaired cardiac function is completely restored after aortic valve replacement by Bj?rk-Shiley valve, if valve function is good. Patients with impaired cardiac function preoperatively did not have a poorer prognosis after operation than patients with normal function.     

Correction for preload in assessment of myocardial contractility in aortic and mitral valve disease. Application of the concept of systolic myocardial stiffness

With single-beat analysis, the new concept of systolic myocardial stiffness is applied to provide a new approach for the assessment of myocardial contractility in aortic and mitral valve disease. Seventy patients underwent diagnostic right and left heart catheterization. Twenty-six patients had aortic stenosis, 18 had aortic insufficiency, and 26 had mitral regurgitation. Patients with aortic stenosis were divided into two groups on the basis of left ventricular mass index less than 172 g/m2 (AS1) and mass index greater than or equal to 172 g/m2 (AS2). The mitral regurgitation patients were divided into those in normal sinus rhythm (MR1) and those in atrial fibrillation (MR2). Nine patients without significant coronary or cardiovascular disease served as controls. Thirteen patients with aortic stenosis and eight with aortic insufficiency were evaluated (average, approximately 18 months) after successful aortic valve replacement. With simultaneous left ventricular pressure and cineangiographic methods, myocardial contractility was assessed by the conventional ejection fraction-afterload relation (uncorrected for preload) and by two new methods that permit the correction of the ejection fraction for preload. Assessments of the contractile state by these two new methods differed from those by the conventional method in 20-40% of the cases studied. Contractile state improved postoperatively in aortic stenosis and aortic insufficiency even in patients with preoperative depressed contractile states. In patients with mitral regurgitation, there was considerable heterogeneity of contractile function preoperatively. Severe left ventricular hypertrophy in aortic stenosis was not a marker for postoperative outcome since contractility was normal postoperatively in AS1 and AS2 in equal numbers. This study demonstrates that preload correction is important in a preoperative assessment of contractility in aortic and mitral valve disease but that it is less important postoperatively, presumably because of reductions in the preload.     

Transcatheter valve interventions in heart failure: new answers to old questions

Heart failure (HF) is often associated with different valve diseases, predominantly functional mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. However, the association between HF and aortic stenosis, particularly low-flow low-gradient aortic stenosis, is not infrequent. Severe mitral and tricuspid regurgitations, as well as aortic stenosis, in HF patients worsen prognosis and left ventricular dilatation and induce further reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction. Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral and tricuspid valve repair and transcatheter aortic valve implantation could be an important therapeutic option with a satisfactory long-term outcome in HF patients with comorbidities and even in patients with severely depressed ejection fraction.     

Color Doppler echocardiography and radionuclide ventriculography in aortic and mitral valve insufficiency

In 99 stable patients with auscultatory findings of aortic (n = 52) or mitral regurgitation (n = 47), the regurgitant fraction was determined by radionuclide ventriculography (RNV). In addition, color-coded Doppler echocardiography (CDE) was performed to assess semi-quantitatively the severity of valve incompetence. In aortic regurgitation, the results of both methods concurred in 73% of cases. With CDE, the regurgitation was underestimated in 10% by one class and overestimated in 17% by one class. In mitral regurgitation the results concurred only in 60% of the patients. CDE seemed to overestimate the incompetence, by one class, in 19% and to underestimate the lesion in 21% of the patients. In 2/47 patients the difference was more than one class. In conclusion, both noninvasive methods are applicable to assess the severity of mitral and aortic regurgitation. The RNV appears superior in follow-up assessment because of a slightly better reproducibility and investigator-independence.     

老年人退行性心脏瓣膜病166例超声心动图分析

目的探讨老年人退行性心脏瓣膜病的超声心动图特点。方法采用美国HP5500及飞凡彩色多普勒超声诊断仪，观察166例老年退行性心脏瓣膜病患者的心脏结构及心功能变化。结果单纯主动脉瓣膜钙化者93例（56．0％），单纯二尖瓣钙化18例（10．8％），主动脉瓣和二尖瓣联合钙化为55例（33．1％）；左房扩大116例（69．9％），左心室舒张功能减退142例（85．5％）；136例导致心脏瓣膜功能障碍，其中主动脉瓣返流70例，占42．2％，主动脉瓣狭窄23例，占13．9％，二尖瓣返流20例，占12．0％，二尖瓣狭窄8例，占4．8％，主动脉瓣返流＋主动脉瓣狭窄10例，占6．0％，二尖瓣返流＋二尖瓣狭窄5例，占3．0％。瓣膜功能障碍检出率最高为主动脉关闭不全（42．2％），其次为主动脉瓣狭窄（13．9％），发病率最低为二尖瓣狭窄伴关闭不全（3．0％）。结论老年人退行性心脏瓣膜病缺乏特异的临床表现，随着年龄的增加，联合瓣膜钙化比例增加，瓣膜功能障碍中主动脉瓣关闭不全比例最高，左房扩大的比例也增加。     

Quantification of valve regurgitation by radionuclide angiography before and after valve replacement surgery

Radionuclide gated cardiac blood pool imaging was used to quantify the severity of valve regurgitation in 20 patients, by calculating the ratio of left ventricular to right ventricular stroke counts (end-diastolic minus end-systolic counts in right and left ventricular regions of interest). This ratio (the stroke index ratio) was substantially higher in patients with aortic and mitral regurgitation (3.91 ± 1.45) than in a control group of 10 patients without regurgitation (1.32 ± 0.15), p < 3.001. The stroke index ratio correlated closely (r = 0.947) with measurements of regurgitant fraction derived from simultaneous determinations of total and forward stroke volumes during cardiac catheterization.After aortic and mitral valve replacement in 18 patients, the stroke index ratio decreased from 4.03 ± 1.46 to 1.38 ± 0.23 (p < 0.001), a value not significantly different from that observed in patients without regurgitation. All three patients with residual postoperative regurgitation had a stroke index ratio greater than 2 standard deviations above the mean values for the control group (>1.62), whereas the remaining 15 patients, who had no evidence of regurgitation, had values within the normal range. Therefore, radionuclide gated blood pool scanning provides a noninvasive method of quantifying valve regurgitation and assessing the results of medical or surgical interventions.     

Predictors of outcome for aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction: a change in the measuring stick

Although left ventricular function is generally regarded as a key determinant of prognosis in aortic regurgitation, predictors of outcome of aortic valve replacement based on this factor have recently been questioned. This study was performed to examine the role of indexes of left ventricular function in predicting the outcome of surgery in patients with aortic regurgitation and left ventricular dysfunction. Fourteen patients with aortic regurgitation with a preoperative ejection fraction of less than 0.55 (average 0.45 +/- 0.02) who underwent aortic valve replacement were studied. The patients had 82 (58%) of a possible 140 predictors of negative outcome preoperatively, but 12 of the 14 patients had a decrease in symptoms and an increase in ejection fraction into the normal range after operation (average postoperative ejection fraction 0.59 +/- 0.04). Although improvement occurred despite the presence of many negative predictors of outcome, there was a significant correlation between postoperative ejection fraction and eight of the tested preoperative predictors. Preoperative end-systolic dimension correlated best (r = -0.91) with postoperative ejection fraction. An end-systolic dimension of 60 mm correlated with a postoperative ejection fraction of 0.55. The results indicate that preoperative ventricular function is still an important determinant of outcome of aortic valve replacement for aortic regurgitation. However, current medical and surgical techniques permit a better prognosis in the presence of reduced ventricular function than was previously considered possible.     

Incidence and concomitant factors of tricuspid valve insufficiency in patients with aortic and mitral valve diseases

Invasive data about the frequency and associated factors of tricuspid regurgitation in normals and in patients with aortic and mitral valve disease are still rare. Thus, right ventricular biplane angiograms (RAO/LAO projection), the mean pulmonary artery pressure and the presence of atrial fibrillation were analyzed with regard to tricuspid regurgitation in 30 normals and 165 patients with pure mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, combined mitral valve disease or combined aortic valve disease. Patients with tricuspid stenosis or coronary artery disease were excluded. In 52 of the 195 patients tricuspid regurgitation was present. Tricuspid regurgitation occurred statistically more often in patients with mitral stenosis (33%), mitral regurgitation (48%) or combined mitral valve disease (68%) than in patients with aortic regurgitation (4%) or combined aortic valve disease (3%). In patients with aortic stenosis and in normals tricuspid regurgitation was not present. In patients with combined mitral valve disease, tricuspid regurgitation was more often present than in patients with pure mitral stenosis (p less than 0.002), despite comparable values of the mean pulmonary artery pressure, the right ventricular enddiastolic and endsystolic volume indexes, the right ventricular ejection fraction and the frequency of atrial fibrillation. Only in patients with pure mitral regurgitation tricuspid regurgitation was associated with an elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure (p less than 0.02). Differences in the right ventricular size and function did not occur between normals and patients with mitral or aortic valve disease. Therefore, the mean pulmonary artery pressure, atrial fibrillation and the size and function of the right ventricle are not major determinants for the occurrence of tricuspid regurgitation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)