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Updated: May 11, 2026

Full-root Aortic Valve Replacement by Stentless Aortic Xenografts in Patients with Small Aortic Roots
Published on: May 21, 2017
Survival after aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis: does left ventricular mass regression have a clinical
Mario Gaudino1, Francesco Alessandrini, Franco Glieca
1Department of Cardiac Surgery, Catholic University, Largo A Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy. mgaudino@tiscali.it
Aim:
The effects of post-operative left ventricular mass regression (LVMR) on clinical outcome after aortic valve surgery remains to be established. This study was intended to establish the impact of patient characteristics on post-operative survival in patients referred for aortic valve replacement (AVR), with particular regard to LVMR.
Methods And Results:
Two hundred and sixty consecutive cases submitted to aortic valve replacement for valvular stenosis were prospectively followed for a mean of 28+/-9 months. Baseline, characteristics and extent of LVMR were tested for association with survival by uni- and multivariable analysis. Ten deaths occurred during hospital stay and 52 during out-of-hospital follow-up. Mean left ventricular mass decreased from 190+/-43 to 158+/-70 g/m2 (P<0.001). Older age, advanced functional class, hypertension, reduced left ventricle ejection fraction, and high pre-operative left ventricular mass index were associated with reduced survival. Overall the extent of LVMR did not influence the clinical results, while only early (<6 months) LVMR was weakly associated with mid-term outcome.
Conclusion:
Survival after aortic valve surgery is mainly determined by the pre-operative functional cardiac and systemic status. The extent of LVMR does not correlate with clinical outcome, whereas aggressive treatment of hypertension may improve post-operative survival.
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