title: Relation of left ventricular shape to volume and mass in patients with minimally symptomatic chronic aortic regurgitation.
abstract: In 19 male patients with significant but minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic chronic aortic regurgitation, measurements of left ventricular shape, volume, and mass were assessed by cross-sectional echocardiography. End-diastolic volume and mass were significantly larger than normal values. There was a significant negative correlation between the volume-to-mass ratio (V/M) and both the end-diastolic (r = -0.70, p less than 0.01) and end-systolic (r = -0.73, p less than 0.001) long axis-to-minor diameter ratios (L/D), suggesting that maintenance of the normal geometry of the left ventricle is in part dependent on the adequacy of hypertrophy, as expressed by a normal V/M. Since preoperative volume-to-mass indices have been shown to be important predictors of postoperative course, the L/D ratio should be a useful and simple parameter to follow in asymptomatic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94121.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vandenbossche
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Massie
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Schiller
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Karliner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications*; D002306:Cardiac Volume; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013318:Stroke Volume