title: Myocardial function in severe aortic stenosis before and after aortic valve replacement: a Doppler tissue imaging study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the study was to assess the value of Pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) in assessing diastolic and systolic function in patients with severe aortic value stenosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five patients with aortic stenosis (AS) (valve orifice < or = 1 cm 2 , mean age 71.8 +/- 6.2) and 35 comparable healthy subjects were studied. All subjects performed conventional 2-dimensional Doppler echocardiography and DTI at mitral annulus level. Patients with AS were divided into 2 groups: 16 patients who presented initial signs of HF and a depressed left ventricular systolic function (AS I) (EF: 35%-50%) and 19 patients were asymptomatic and had normal left ventricular systolic function (EF > 50%) (ASII). The 16 symptomatic AS patients underwent surgical aortic valve replacement and were examined after 1 year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DTI was able to detect abnormalities of systolic and diastolic function in AS: the significantly lower peak S velocity in AS I than in AS II and in controls, both at septum and lateral wall level; the significantly lower peak E velocity in AS I than in AS II and in controls both at septum and lateral wall level; the significantly higher peak A velocity in AS I than in AS II and in controls both at septum and lateral wall level; the significant lower E/A ratio in AS I than in AS II and in controls both at septum and lateral wall level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a significant inverse correlation between DTI lateral S velocity, DTI peak E velocity, lateral DTI E/A ratio, and AS peak and mean gradient. According to the results of this study we can affirm that DTI parameters surely had an important physiopathological impact in the knowledge of myocardial function in patients with severe aortic stenosis.
authors.affiliation: Cardiac and Thoracic Department, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: Vitantonio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Bello
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Talini
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Palagi
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Delle Donne
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verunelli
authors.forename: Massimo Alessandro
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Cori
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caravelli
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mariani
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed; D005260:Female; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left