The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 75, 854-864, Copyright © 1978 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Recovery from myocardial failure after aortic valve replacement
F Schwarz, W Flameng, J Thormann, M Sesto, F Langebartels, F Hehrlein and M Schlepper
Left ventricular hypertrophy and function were studied in 27 consecutive
patients with chronic aortic valve disease before and 6.4 +/- 2.2 (S.D.)
months after aortic valve replacement with Bjork-Shiley prostheses. Four
patients were excluded because of postoperative paravalvular regurgitation.
Five patients had aortic stenosis (AS), seven patients AS plus
insufficiency (AS-AI), and 11 patients aortic insufficiency (AI). Left
ventricular muscle mass (LVMI), ejection fraction (EF), mean
circumferential fiber shortening rate (VCF), mean normalized systolic
ejection rate (MNSER), and peak systolic wall stress (PSWS) were determined
angiographically. LVMI fell significantly after corrective surgery, whereas
EF, VCF, and MNSER increased. PSWS decreased after the operation.
Comparison of stress ventriculograms before and after surgery in six
patients with predominant AS (isoproterenol infusion, 0.3 microgram per
kilogram of body weight per minute) showed an increase of EF, VCF, and
MNSER and a decrease of PSWS. We conclude that hypertrophy in chronic
aortic valve disease regresses after aortic valve replacement, and thereby
depressed cardiac function and reserve recover.