title: Aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis in the elderly: influence of prosthesis-patient mismatch on late survival and left ventricular mass regression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Controversy still exists about the influence of prosthesis-patient mismatch on outcomes after aortic valve replacement in the elderly. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of prosthesis-patient mismatch on survival and the extent of left ventricular (LV) mass regression after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis in Japanese patients aged >or=65 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 84 patients who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis between 1986 and 2006 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the definition of prosthesis-patient mismatch (indexed effective orifice area <or=0.85 cm(2)/m(2)), and long-term results were compared. The mean follow-up time was 4.5 +/- 4.5 years. In 49 patients, follow-up echocardiography was performed at least 6 months after surgery, and the extent of LV mass regression was analyzed according to the presence of a prosthesis-patient mismatch.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight years after surgery, there was no significant difference between patients with and without mismatch in terms of actuarial freedom from cardiac-related death (P = 0.159) or death from any valve-related events (P = 0.107). The postoperative transvalvular pressure gradients were not significantly different between the two groups, and significant absolute and relative LV mass regression were observed in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although a moderate prosthesis-patient mismatch appeared to be tolerable, the criteria of prosthesis-patient mismatch may have to be reassessed for elderly Japanese patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Fukui Cardiovascular Center, 2-228 Shinbo, Fukui 910-0833, Japan. ayak0511@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Yosuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohashi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D002423:Cause of Death; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D012074:Remission Induction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome