Background and aims. Aortic sclerosis associates an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent studies suggest that aortic sclerosis is able to produce ventricular remodeling through inflammatory, non-hemodynamic mechanisms. Our study aims to evaluate the correlation between ventricular remodeling and aortic sclerosis severity.
Method. 68 patients with aortic sclerosis without other signifficant associated valvulopathies were examined clinically, biologically and echocardiographic. In 20 patients, we quantiffied the severity of aortic valve calciffication using the backscatter ecographic technique, in parasternal long and short axis view. Backscatter values obtained at the valvular level were calibrated to the blood and pericardium backscatter values.
Results. In the 68 patients group, transvalvular aortic velocity correlates with left ventricular mass (p =0.031), which in turn incline to augment with increasing calciffication severity assessed by backscatter. Calciffication severity assessed by backscatter corellates with transvalvular aortic velocity in parasternal long axis view (p =0.039 for blood calibrated backscatter, p =0.029 for pericardium calibrated backscatter), and tends to augment with increasing transvalvular aortic velocity in parasternal short axis view. Patients with normal ventricular geometry incline to have lower aortic transvalvular velocities and a lower degree of calciffication (evaluated by backscatter) compared to patients with ventricular remodeling.
Conclusions. Aortic sclerosis is not benign, and may lead, in time, to left ventricular remodeling. With the progression of valvular calciffications in aortic sclerosis patients, the prevalence of ventricular remodeling tends to increase.
