title: Relation of weights of operatively excised stenotic aortic valves to preoperative transvalvular peak systolic pressure gradients and to calculated aortic valve areas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to correlate the weights of operatively excised stenotic aortic valves to preoperative transvalvular peak systolic gradients and to calculated aortic valve areas.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  No previous publication has correlated the weights of stenotic aortic valves to the transvalvular gradients or to the calculated aortic valve areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  We weighed operatively excised stenotic aortic valves in 324 adults who had undergone preoperative left-sided cardiac catheterization.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As the weights of the operatively excised stenotic aortic valves increased (from <1 g to >6 g), the average transvalvular peak systolic pressure gradients progressively increased. For any valve weight, in general, the women had higher average transvalvular gradients (p </= 0.005) and lower average valve areas (p </= 0.008) than did the men. Correlation between aortic valve weight and transvalvular gradient improved further when gender was taken into account.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preoperative transvalvular peak systolic pressure gradients across stenotic aortic valves correlate better with the weights of the operatively excised valves than do the calculated valve areas.
authors.affiliation: Baylor Heart & Vascular Institute and the Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA. wc.roberts@baylorhealth.edu
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Jong M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D001022:Aortic Valve Insufficiency / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011312:Pressure; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D013781:Texas; D016896:Treatment Outcome