Regression of left ventricular mass one year after aortic valve replacement for pure severe aortic stenosis.

The aim of the study was to quantify a 1-year change in left ventricular (LV) mass index (MI) and systolic LV function in 30 patients with pure severe aortic stenosis by means of serial 3-dimensional (3-D) echocardiography. To assess the completeness of LVMI regression after 1 year, we compared the postoperative mass of patients with mass values of 30 normotensive control subjects without a history of cardiac disease. Ejection fraction increased from 64 +/- 14% before surgery to 69 +/- 8% at follow-up (p = 0.067), and functional class improved from 2.9 +/- 0.5 to 1.4 +/- 0.5 (p <0.05), with improvement in each patient. During the same period, LVMI regressed by 23.4% (p <0.001). Postoperative LVMI was related to preoperative LVMI (r = 0.82; p <0.001) and baseline ejection fraction (r = -0.5; p = 0.009). LVMI regressed into the normal range in 64% of patients at follow-up. Patients achieving normal mass values did not differ with respect to patient gender, valve type, or valve size. Patients with reduced preoperative LV function had larger volumes (p <0.01), larger mass values (p <0.01), and a trend toward more mass regression (p = 0.062) than patients with normal preoperative function. Although ejection fraction improved after 1 year in all of these patients (p <0.03), they were less likely to achieve normal mass values at follow-up (p = 0.01). Regression of LVMI in patients with pure aortic stenosis is a positive event that occurs in each patient and that is associated with improvement in functional status. LVMI regressed into the normal range in most patients with normal preoperative function. Preoperative LV function, but not patient gender, valve type, or size, was related to normalization of LVMI at follow-up in this selected study population.