Impact of postoperative blood pressure control on regression of left ventricular mass following valve replacement for aortic stenosis.
OBJECTIVE
Considerable left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy sometimes remains after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis. For this issue, most previous studies have focused solely on transprosthetic pressure gradient, although true problem is not the pressure gradient itself but an elevated LV pressure. This study investigated the impact of blood pressure on postoperative LV mass regression, which had been overlooked in previous studies.


METHODS
Seventy-nine adult patients with pure aortic stenosis who were treated with AVR using bileaflet mechanical valves underwent echocardiography before surgery, around 6 months later ('early'), and 2-3 years later (31.7+/-14.7 months, 'late'). Patients were divided into two groups whether postoperative systolic blood pressure was below (n=47; N group) or above 130 mmHg (n=32; H group) following recommendation of WHO-ISH and JNC 7th report. Preoperative LV mass (g/m2) did not differ significantly (232+/-80 vs. 243+/-76, P=0.91).


RESULTS
LV mass became significantly smaller and regression was significantly more effective in N group than in H group both at 'early' (145+/-43 vs. 180+/-54, regression against preoperative value 34.6+/-19.1 vs. 19.9+/-26.6%, P=0.007) and 'late' (132+/-41 vs. 178+/-51, regression 41.1+/-16.0 vs. 21.0+/-27.0%, P<0.001) evaluations. Regression between 'early' and 'late' evaluations was significant only in N group (P=0.012). The LV mass index returned to the normal range at 'late' evaluation in 52.1% of N group and 12.5% of H group patients (P<0.001), and 25 out of 29 patients without residual LV hypertrophy were N group patients. Multivariate analyses revealed that preoperative LV mass index (P<0.001) and postoperative systolic blood pressure (P=0.007) showed significant influence on postoperative LV mass index, and postoperative systolic blood pressure alone significantly (P<0.001) influenced the regression ratio of the LV mass against the preoperative value. No prosthesis related variables (size, orifice area index, pressure gradient) had significant influence.


CONCLUSIONS
For LV mass regression after AVR, postoperative blood pressure appeared to be more important than prosthesis selection. Controlling the systolic blood pressure below 130 mmHg was beneficial, which coincided with recommendation of WHO-ISH and JNC 7th report despite the pressure drop due to prosthesis in the aortic position.
Imanaka
Kazuhito
K
Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Saitama Medical School, 38 Morohongo, Moroyama-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama 350-0495, Japan. imanaka@saitama-med.ac.jp
Kohmoto
Osami
O
Nishimura
Shigeyuki
S
Yokote
Yuji
Y
Kyo
Shunei
S
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D013599:Systole; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents