| 1. |
- Jenner, J., et al.
(författare)
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Pre- and postoperative left atrial and ventricular volumetric and deformation analyses in severe aortic regurgitation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Cardiovascular Ultrasound. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-7120. ; 19:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The impact of volume overload due to aortic regurgitation (AR) on systolic and diastolic left ventricular (LV) indices and left atrial remodeling is unclear. We assessed the structural and functional effects of severe AR on LV and left atrium before and after aortic valve replacement. Methods Patients with severe AR scheduled for aortic valve replacement (n = 65) underwent two- and three-dimensional echocardiography, including left atrial strain imaging, before and 1 year after surgery. A control group was selected, and comprised patients undergoing surgery for thoracic aortic aneurysm without aortic valve replacement (n = 20). Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictors of impaired left ventricular functional and structural recovery, defined as a composite variable of diastolic dysfunction grade >= 2, EF < 50%, or left ventricular end-diastolic volume index above the gender-specific normal range. Results Diastolic dysfunction was present in 32% of patients with AR at baseline. Diastolic LV function indices and left atrial strain improved, and both left atrial and LV volumes decreased in the AR group following aortic valve replacement. Preoperative left atrial strain during the conduit phase added to left ventricular end-systolic volume index for the prediction of impaired LV functional and structural recovery after aortic valve replacement (model p < 0.001, accuracy 70%; addition of left atrial strain during the conduit phase to end-systolic volume index p = 0.006). Conclusions One-third of patients with severe AR had signs of diastolic dysfunction. Aortic valve surgery reduced LV and left atrial volumes and improved diastolic indices. Left atrial strain during the conduit phase added to the well-established left ventricular end-diastolic dimension for the prediction of impaired left ventricular functional and structural recovery at follow-up. However, long-term follow-up studies with hard endpoints are needed to assess the value of left atrial strain as predictor of myocardial recovery in aortic regurgitation.
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| 2. |
- Paloschi, V., et al.
(författare)
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Impaired splicing of fibronectin is associated with thoracic aortic aneurysm formation in patients with bicuspid aortic valve
- 2011
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Ingår i: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 1079-5642 .- 1524-4636. ; 31:3, s. 691-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Thoracic aortic aneurysm is a common complication in patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Alternatively spliced extra domain A (EDA) of fibronectin (FN) has an essential role in tissue repair. Here we analyze the expression of FN spliceforms in dilated and nondilated ascending aorta of tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) and BAV patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: The mRNA expression was analyzed in the ascending aorta by Affymetrix Exon arrays in patients with TAV (n=40) and BAV (n=69). EDA and extra domain B (EDB) expression was increased in dilated aorta from TAV patients compared with nondilated aorta (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively). In contrast, EDA expression was not increased in dilated aorta from BAV patients (P=0.25), whereas EDB expression was upregulated (P<0.01). The expression of EDA correlated with maximum aortic diameter in TAV (rho=0.58) but not in BAV (rho=0.15) patients. Protein analyses of EDA-FN showed concordant results. Transforming growth factor-beta treatment influenced the splicing of FN and enhanced the formation of EDA-containing FN in cultured medial cells from TAV patients but not in cells derived from BAV patients. Gene set enrichment analysis together with multivariate and univariate data analyses of mRNA expression suggested that differences in the transforming growth factor-beta signaling pathway may explain the impaired EDA inclusion in BAV patients. CONCLUSIONS: Decreased EDA expression may contribute to increased aneurysm susceptibility of BAV patients.
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| 3. |
- Petrini, J., et al.
(författare)
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Aortic versus carotid intima-media thickness and impact of aortic valve disease
- 2018
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Ingår i: Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging. - : Wiley. - 1475-0961 .- 1475-097X. ; 38:5, s. 895-902
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Intima-media thickness is a marker for atherosclerosis but is also influenced by shear stress and flow. We evaluated the relation between intima-media thickness of the descending aorta (AoIMT) and the common carotid artery (CIMT) in patients with and without severe aortic valve disease (sAVD). METHODS: A total of 310 patients (233 with sAVD, 77 without) were examined with regard to AoIMT and CIMT using transesophageal echocardiography and carotid ultrasound, respectively, before valvular and/or aortic surgery. Digitally stored B-mode images were used for semiautomatic AoIMT and CIMT measurements. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in patients with or without sAVD with regard to AoIMT (1.35 +/- 0.31 vs. 1.35 +/- 0.33 mm) or CIMT (0.80 +/- 0.15 vs. 0.78 +/- 0.16 mm). The correlations between AoIMT and CIMT were r = 0.29 in patients with and r = 0.51 in patients without sAVD, and the difference between these correlations was significant (P<0.05). In multivariate regression, age was the main determinant for AoIMT and CIMT in both groups, further in sAVD, the aortic mean pressure gradient (Pmean ) was a determinant of AoIMT, but not of CIMT. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between CIMT and AoIMT is weaker in patients with sAVD compared to those without sAVD. Pmean is also a significant predictor of AoIMT, but not of CIMT. This implies that, in addition to the atherosclerotic process, turbulent aortic flow or altered blood flow helicity created by large stroke volumes and diastolic flow reversal or high-velocity jets, affect the intima-media of the descending aorta and common carotid artery differently.
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| 4. |
- Petrini, J., et al.
(författare)
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Intima-media thickness of the descending aorta in patients with bicuspid aortic valve
- 2016
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Ingår i: IJC Heart & Vasculature. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-9067. ; 11, s. 74-79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: A bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) is associated with accelerated aortic valve disease (AVD) and abnormalities in aortic elasticity. We investigated the intima-media thickness of the descending aorta (AoIMT) in patients with AVD with or without an ascending aortic aneurysm (AscAA), in relation to BAV versus tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) phenotype, type of valve disease, cardiovascular risk factors, and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a known association with carotid IMT. METHODS AND RESULTS: 368 patients (210 with BAV, 158 with TAV,); mean age 64 +/- 13 years) were examined using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before valvular and/or aortic surgery. No patient had a coronary disease (CAD). The AoIMT was measured on short-axis TEE images of the descending aorta using a semi-automated edge-detection technique. AoIMT was univariately (P < 0.05) related to age, blood pressure, smoking, creatinine, highly sensitive C-reactive protein, HDL, valve hemodynamics and BAV. In the TAV subgroup it was also associated with the rs200991 SNP. Using multivariate regression analysis, age was the main determinant for AoIMT (P < 0.001), followed by male gender (P = 0.02), BAV was no longer a significant predictor of AoIMT. AoIMT was still related to the rs200991 SNP in TAV (P = 0.034), and to creatinine in BAV (P = 0.019), when other variables were accounted for. CONCLUSIONS: Intima-media thickness of the descending aorta is not affected by aortic valve morphology (BAV/TAV); age is the main determinant of AoIMT. Genetic markers (SNPs) known to influence IMT in the carotid artery seem to correlate to IMT in the descending aorta only in patients with TAV.
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| 5. |
- Yousry, M., et al.
(författare)
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Real-time imaging required for optimal echocardiographic assessment of aortic valve calcification
- 2012
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Ingår i: Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging. - 1475-0961 .- 1475-097X. ; 32:6, s. 470-475
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction Aortic valve calcification (AVC), even without haemodynamic significance, may be prognostically import as an expression of generalized atherosclerosis, but techniques for echocardiographic assessment are essentially unexplored. Methods Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic recordings (Philips IE33) of the aortic valve in short-axis and long-axis views were performed in 185 consecutive patients within 1 week before surgery for aortic stenosis (n = 109, AS), aortic regurgitation (n = 61, AR), their combination (n = 8) or dilation of the ascending aorta (n = 7). The grey scale mean (GSMn) of the aortic valve in an end-diastolic short-axis still frame was measured. The same frame was scored visually 15 as indicating that the aortic valve was normal, thick, or had mild, moderate or severe calcification. The visual echodensity of each leaflet was determined real time applying the same 5-grade scoring system for each leaflet, and the average for the whole valve was calculated. Finally, a similar calcification score for the whole valve based on inspection and palpation by the surgeon was noted. Results Visual assessment of real-time images using the proposed scoring system showed better correlation with the surgical evaluation of the degree of valve calcification (r = 0.83, P<0.001) compared to evaluation of stop frames by visual assessment (r = 0.66, P<0.001) or the GSMn score (r = 0.64, P<0.001). High inter- and intra-observer correlations were observed for real-time visual score (both intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.93). Conclusion Real-time evaluation of the level of AVC is superior to using stop frames assessed either visually or by dedicated computer grey scale measurement software.
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