title: Time course of left ventricular remodeling after stentless aortic valve replacement.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stentless aortic valves are associated with a significant decrease in left ventricular hypertrophy. This study examined the time course and factors affecting left ventricular mass regression (LVMR) after aortic valve replacement (AVR) with Cryolife O'Brien (CLOB) (Cryolife International, Atlanta, Ga) stentless valves.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1993 and 2000, 130 consecutive patients underwent AVR with CLOB. Mean age was 71.3 +/- 6.3 years. Sixty-four (49.2%) were male. Mean body surface area (BSA) was 1.7 +/- 0.2 m(2). Mean valve size implanted was 23.6 +/- 2.0 mm. All patients were monitored with serial echocardiograms; the first study was performed preoperatively, and subsequent controls were at 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 years, respectively. Left ventricular mass was calculated by the Devereux formula and indexed by BSA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of variance showed a significant reduction in the left ventricular mass index (LVMI) over time (P < .001). Most LVMRs occurred within the first 6 months, and after 1 year LVMI had decreased by 37.5% with further, but not statistically significant, reductions at later examinations. We found that baseline BSA > 1.75 m(2), male sex, arterial blood pressure > or = 150 mm Hg, left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 35%, New York Heart Association functional class > or = III, non-sinus rhythm, and prevalent aortic incompetence to be factors influencing LVMR. LVMR was not related to postoperative effective orifice area < or = 0.85 cm/m(2) and prosthetic size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AVR with a CLOB valve is followed by a significant LVMR that occurs soon after surgery. It is influenced by several patient-related factors: most of them can be predicted preoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, General Hospital "S. Maria della Misericordia," Udine, Italy. sandrogelsomino@virgilio.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gelsomino
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frassani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morocutti
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nucifora
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Da Col
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Minen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Livi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology*