Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-r5fsc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T08:17:41.707Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Ventricular mechanics in patients with aortic valve disease: longitudinal, radial, and circumferential components

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 February 2013

Benedetta Leonardi*
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Italy
Renee Margossian
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Stephen P. Sanders
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Marcello Chinali
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS Rome, Italy
Steven D. Colan
Affiliation:
Department of Cardiology, Children's Hospital Boston, the Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
*
Correspondence to: Dr B. Leonardi, MD, Department of Cardiology, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital Rome, Piazza Sant'Onofrio, 4, 00165 Rome, Italy. Tel: 0039-06-68592822; Fax: 0039-06-68592607; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Background

Reduced long-axis shortening despite enhanced global function has been reported in aortic stenosis. We sought to improve the understanding of this phenomenon using multi-dimensional strain analysis in conjunction with the evaluation of left ventricular rotation and twist – ventricular torsion – using tissue Doppler techniques.

Methods

A total of 57 patients with variable severity of aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation, or mixed aortic valve disease, subdivided into six groups, were studied. Ventricular morphology was assessed using long-axis/short-axis and mass/volume ratios, afterload using end-systolic meridional wall stress, and global performance using ejection fraction. The circumferential and longitudinal strain was measured from two-dimensional images, and left ventricular rotation and twist were estimated as the difference in rotation between the base and apex of the ventricle.

Results

Aortic stenosis was associated with higher mass/volume, ejection fraction, circumferential strain and left ventricular rotation and twist, significantly lower end-systolic wall stress, and a trend towards lower longitudinal strain compared with normal. Myocardial mechanics in aortic regurgitation were normal despite ventricular dilation. Mixed aortic valve disease showed findings similar to aortic stenosis. Left ventricular rotation and twist correlated with midwall circumferential strain (r = 0.62 and p < 0.0001), endocardial circumferential strain (r = 0.61 and p < 0.0001), and end-systolic wall stress (r = 0.48 and p < 0.0001), but not with longitudinal strain (r = 0.18 and p > 0.05).

Conclusions

Myocardial mechanics are normal in patients with aortic regurgitation, independent of abnormalities in cardiac geometry. Conversely, in aortic stenosis and mixed aortic valve disease, significant alterations in the patterns of fibre shortening are found. The effects of stenosis on cardiac function seem to dominate the effect of ventricular remodelling.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Di Salvo, G, Pacileo, G, Verrengia, M, et al. Early myocardial abnormalities in asymptomatic patients with severe isolated congenital aortic regurgitation: an ultrasound tissue characterization and strain rate study. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2005; 18: 122127.Google Scholar
2. Pomerantz, BJ, Wollmuth, JR, Krock, MD, et al. Myocardial systolic strain is decreased after aortic valve replacement in patients with aortic insufficiency. Ann Thorac Surg 2005; 80: 21862192.Google Scholar
3. Iwahashi, N, Nakatani, S, Kanzaki, H, Hasegawa, T, Abe, H, Kitakaze, M. Acute improvement in myocardial function assessed by myocardial strain and strain rate after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2006; 19: 12381244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Giorgi, D, Di Bello, V, Talini, E, et al. Myocardial function in severe aortic stenosis before and after aortic valve replacement: a Doppler tissue imaging study. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2005; 18: 814.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Kowalski, M, Herbots, L, Weidemann, F, et al. One-dimensional ultrasonic strain and strain rate imaging: a new approach to the quantitation of regional myocardial function in patients with aortic stenosis. Ultrasound Med Biol 2003; 29: 10851092.Google Scholar
6. Lam, YY, Kaya, MG, Li, W, Gatzoulis, MA, Henein, MY. Effect of chronic afterload increase on left ventricular myocardial function in patients with congenital left-sided obstructive lesions. Am J Cardiol 2007; 99: 15821587.Google Scholar
7. Van Pelt, NC, Stewart, RA, Legget, ME, et al. Longitudinal left ventricular contractile dysfunction after exercise in aortic stenosis. Heart 2007; 93: 732738.Google Scholar
8. Stuber, M, Scheidegger, MB, Fischer, SE, et al. Alterations in the local myocardial motion pattern in patients suffering from pressure overload due to aortic stenosis. Circulation 1999; 100: 361368.Google Scholar
9. Young, AA, Kramer, CM, Ferrari, VA, Axel, L, Reichek, N. Three-dimensional left ventricular deformation in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Circulation 1994; 90: 854867.Google Scholar
10. Sandstede, JJ, Johnson, T, Harre, K, et al. Cardiac systolic rotation and contraction before and after valve replacement for aortic stenosis: a myocardial tagging study using MR imaging. Am J Roentgenol 2002; 178: 953958.Google Scholar
11. Notomi, Y, Setser, RM, Shiota, T, et al. Assessment of left ventricular torsional deformation by Doppler tissue imaging – validation study with tagged magnetic resonance imaging. Circulation 2005; 111: 11411147.Google Scholar
12. Sluysmans, T, Colan, SD. Theoretical and empirical derivation of cardiovascular allometric relationships in children. J Appl Physiol 2005; 99: 445457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. Haycock, GB, Schwartz, GJ, Wisotsky, DH. Geometric method for measuring body surface area: a height–weight formula validated in infants, children, and adults. J Pediatr 1978; 93: 6266.Google Scholar
14. Colan, SD, Borow, KM, Neumann, A. Left ventricular end-systolic wall stress-velocity of fiber shortening relation: a load-independent index of myocardial contractility. J Am Coll Cardiol 1984; 4: 715724.Google Scholar
15. Borow, KM, Colan, SD, Neumann, A. Altered left ventricular mechanics in patients with valvular aortic stenosis and coarctation of the aorta: effects on systolic performance and late outcome. Circulation 1985; 72: 515522.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. Carasso, S, Cohen, O, Mutlak, D, et al. Differential effects of afterload on left ventricular long- and short-axis function: insights from a clinical model of patients with aortic valve stenosis undergoing aortic valve replacement. Am Heart J 2009; 158: 540545.Google Scholar
17. Carasso, S, Cohen, O, Mutlak, D, et al. Relation of myocardial mechanics in severe aortic stenosis to left ventricular ejection fraction and response to aortic valve replacement. Am J Cardiol 2011; 107: 10521057.Google Scholar
18. Ungacta, FF, Dávila-Román, VG, Moulton, MJ, et al. MRI-radiofrequency tissue tagging in patients with aortic insufficiency before and after operation. Ann Thorac Surg 1998; 65: 943950.Google Scholar
19. Taniguchi, K, Kawamaoto, T, Kuki, S, et al. Left ventricular myocardial remodeling and contractile state in chronic aortic regurgitation. Clin Cardiol 2000; 23: 608614.Google Scholar
20. Taniguchi, K, Nakano, S, Hirose, H, et al. Preoperative left ventricular function – minimal requirement for successful late results of valve replacement for aortic regurgitation. J Am Coll Cardiol 1987; 10: 510518.Google Scholar
21. Krayenbuehl, HP, Hess, OM, Monrad, ES, Schneider, J, Mall, G, Turina, M. Left ventricular myocardial structure in aortic valve disease before, intermediate, and late after aortic valve replacement. Circulation 1989; 79: 744755.Google Scholar
22. Hein, S, Arnon, E, Kostin, S, et al. Progression from compensated hypertrophy to failure in the pressure-overloaded human heart – structural deterioration and compensatory mechanisms. Circulation 2003; 107: 984991.Google Scholar
23. MacGowan, GA, Shapiro, EP, Salvador, D, et al. Is left ventricular torsion afterload dependent? An MRI tagging study of isolating, ejecting, canine hearts. Circulation 1993; 88 (Suppl I): I-276. Abstract.Google Scholar
24. Dong, SJ, Hees, PS, Huang, WM, Buffer, SA Jr, Weiss, JL, Shapiro, EP. Independent effects of preload, afterload, and contractility on left ventricular torsion. Am J Physiol 1999; 277: H1053H1060.Google ScholarPubMed
25. Hansen, DE, Daughters, GT, Alderman, EL, Ingels, NB, Stinson, EB, Miller, DC. Effect of volume loading, pressure loading, and inotropic stimulation on left ventricular torsion in humans. Circulation 1991; 83: 13151326.Google Scholar
26. Moon, MR, Ingels, NB Jr, Daughters, GT, Stinson, EB, Hansen, DE, Miller, DC. Alterations in left ventricular twist mechanics with inotropic stimulation and volume loading in human subjects. Circulation 1994; 89: 142150.Google Scholar
27. Taber, LA, Yang, M, Podszus, WW. Mechanics of ventricular torsion. J Biomech 1996; 29: 745752.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28. Park, SJ, Miyazaki, C, Bruce, CJ, Ommen, S, Miller, FA, Oh, JK. Left ventricular torsion by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with diastolic dysfunction and normal ejection fraction. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2008; 21: 11291137.Google Scholar
29. Partho, PS, Jamil, A, Krishnaswamy, T, Bijoy, C, Khandheria, K. Twist mechanics of the left ventricle: principles and application. JACC: Cardiovasc imaging 2008; 1: 366376.Google Scholar
30. Gentles, TL, Cowan, BR, Occleshaw, CJ, Colan, SD, Young, AA. Midwall shortening after coarctation repair: the effect of through-plane motion on single-plane indices of left ventricular function. J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2005; 18: 11311136.Google Scholar
31. Henson, RE, Song, SK, Pastorek, JS, Ackerman, JJ, Lorenz, CH. Left ventricular torsion is equal in mice and humans. Am J Physiol: Heart Circ Physiol 2000; 278: H1117H1123.Google ScholarPubMed