[Regression of heart hypertrophy in patients with operated aortic valve diseases].

In 33 patients with aortic stenosis (AS), 27 with combined aortic valve lesion (AS + AI) and 23 with chronic aortic insufficiency (AI) left ventricular angiographic muscle mass (LMMI) was determined before and after successful valve replacement. Preoperative age in the three groups was 51, 47 and 42 years (P less than 0.05 vs. AS) respectively; recatheterization was carried out 17, 20 and 21 months postoperatively (not significant). In all three groups angiographic mass decreased (P less than 0.001) following surgery: In AS from 167 to 117, in AS + AI from 200 to 127 and in AI from 192 to 142 g/m2. Left ventricular end-diastolic wall thickness decreased from 1.22 to 1.02 (P less than 0.001) in AS and from 1.19 to 1.03 cm (P less than 0.001) in AS + AI. No change of wall thickness occurred in the patients with AI. Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) increased from 61 to 68% (P less than 0.01) in AS, from 58 to 68% (P less than 0.005) in AS + AI and from 52 to 59% (P less than 0.02) in AI. The postoperative EF in the patients with AI was smaller (P less than 0.05) than in AS, AS + AI and in controls (EF = 68%, n = 18). Postoperative normalization of LMMI (less than or equal to 120 g/M2) occurred in 22/33 (67%) patients with AS, in 14/27 (52%) with AS + AI and in 8/23 (35%) with AI. The age of the patients and the time interval between surgery and recatheterization had no influence on postoperative normalization or non-normalization of LMMI.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)