title: Echocardiographic and electron beam tomographic assessment of stenosis in patients with aortic valve disease: gradient versus valve area.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is routinely used to evaluate aortic valve stenosis. However, it does not give reliable results in every patient. There is growing interest in electron-beam tomography (EBT) as a noninvasive cardiac imaging technique. The usefulness of EBT to evaluate aortic stenosis has yet to be evaluated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare EBT with TTE in assessing severity of aortic stenosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total 47 patients (18 females, 29 males) underwent a contrast-enhanced EBT scan and TTE within 6±20 days. The calcium score of the aortic valve was determined and the aortic valve area (AVA) was measured by planimetry. A complete TTE study, during which the peak pressure gradient across the aortic valve was measured, was performed in all patients by an experienced sonographer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant correlation between AVA assessed by EBT and peak pressure gradient (r=-0.38, p=0.009). The calcium score of the aortic valve assessed by EBT correlated with peak pressure gradient (r=0.48, p=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EBT is a useful noninvasive method to evaluate the severity of aortic stenosis. It holds the possibility of assessing the AVA as well as quantification of the degree of calcification.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Piers
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dikkers
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Tio
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: van den Berg
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oudkerk
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zijlstra
keywords: aortic valve disease; echocardiography; electron-beam tomography