Correlations of fibrosis in endomyocardial biopsies from patients with aortic valve disease.

The amount of fibrosis in endomyocardial biopsies from 55 patients with aortic stenosis and 42 patients with aortic regurgitaion was measured. Sixty per cent of the patients with aortic stenosis had some degree of fibrosis; the degree of fibrosis correlated strongly with ejection fraction, peak systolic gradient, symptoms of cardiac failure, and mortality. In patients with aortic regurgitation, fibrosis was found in 40 per cent and was never severe. A correlation was found with symptoms of cardiac failure and mortality at follow-up, but not with ejection fraction or degree of regurgitation.