Left ventricular function following aortic valve replacement: assessment by radionuclide ventriculography.

Left ventricular function following aortic valve replacement has been evaluated in 15 consecutive patients. Cold potassium cardioplegia was utilized for myocardial preservation. Left ventricular function was assessed by radionuclide ventriculography performed preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. The predominant lesion was aortic insufficiency in 10 patients and aortic stenosis in five patients. All patients demonstrated improved ejection fractions at 3 months. The mean increases of ejection fraction in the aortic insufficiency group were 20% from the anterior (Ant.) position and 12.5% from the left anterior oblique (LAO) position; in the aortic stenosis group they were 15.2% (Ant.) and 14.8% (LAO). It is our contention that cold potassium cardioplegia is an effective means of myocardial preservation and that it showed no measurable deleterious effect on left heart function in this group of patients.