INDIRECT ULTRASOUND EVALUATION OF LEFT VENTRICULAR OUTFLOW TRACT
DIAMETER IMPLICATIONS FOR HEART FAILURE AND AORTIC STENOSIS SEVERITY
ASSESSMENT.
Abstract
Background. Whereas dependency of left ventricular outflow tract
diameter (LVOTD) from body surface area (BSA) has been established and a
BSA-based LVOTD formula has been derived, the relationship between LVOTD
and aortic root and LV dimensions has never been explored. This may have
implications for evaluation of LV output in heart failure (HF) and
aortic stenosis (AS) severity. Methods. A cohort of 540 HF patients who
underwent transthoracic echocardiography was divided in a derivation and
validation subgroup. In the derivation subgroup (N=340) independent
determinants of LVOTD were analyzed to derive a regression equation,
which was used for predicting LVOTD in the validation subgroup (N=200)
and compared with the BSA-derived formula. Results. LVOTD determinants
in the derivation subgroup were sinuses of Valsalva diameter (SVD,
beta=0.392, P<0.001), BSA (beta=0.229, P<0.001), LV
end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD, beta=0.145, P=0.001), and height
(beta=0.125, P=0.037). The regression equation for predicting LVOTD with
the aforementioned variables
(LVOTD=6.209+[0.201xSVD]+[1.802xBSA]+[0.03xLVEDD]+[0.025xHeight])
did not differ from (P=0.937) and was highly correlated with measured
LVOTD (R=0.739, P<0.001) in the validation group. Repeated
analysis with LV end-diastolic volume instead of LVEDD and/or accounting
for gender showed similar results, whereas BSA-derived LVOTD values were
different from measured LVOTD (P<0.001). Conclusion. Aortic
root and LV dimensions affect LVOTD independently from anthropometric
data and are included in a new comprehensive equation for predicting
LVOTD. This should improve evaluation of LV output in HF and severity of
AS, avoiding use of LVOT velocity-time integral alone, which can be
misleading, especially when LV cavity and aortic root dimensions are
abnormal.