BACKGROUND: Relief of gradient is followed by myocardial mass reduction in aortic stenosis. Its degree and speed are under evaluation. Aortic valve repair in calcified aortic stenosis is less well studied than replacement. METHODS: We evaluated left ventricular hypertrophy reduction by echocardiogram in 11 patients immediately after valve repair in aortic stenosis at a mean of 6.1 ± 0.9 days post operative. RESULTS: Septal width was 12.10 ± 1.66 mm pre and 11.36 ± 1.12 mm post operative, 6,1% reduction (NS). Parietal width varied 4.4% from 11.70±1.41 mm to 11.18 ± 1,16 mm (NS). Ejection fraction went from 62.02±18.59% to 62.50±11. 74% (NS). Left ventricular mass varied 6.7%, from 277.65±114.80g to 258.93± 92.38 g (NS). Mean transvalvar gradient reduced 57%, from 53.56±10.30 to 23.0±9.1 mmHg (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Aortic valve repair reduces gradients adequately and left ventricular hypertrophy shows a trend to regression soon after aortic repair, but is not yet significant in the first post-operatively week.
Aortic Stenosis; Myocardial hypertrophy; Aortic valve repair
