[Serial assessment of ventricle function in diastolic volume loading caused by valvular disease]

Thirty patients underwent aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic regurgitation and fifty-two did mitral valve replacement (MVR) for mitral regurgitation. Preoperative echocardiographic studies classified each cases into two groups. Group A: LVDs (left ventricular end-systolic dimension) > 50 mm and FS (left ventricular fractional shortening < 25%, Group B: LVDs < or = 50 mm or FS > or = 25%. Serial assessments by echocardiography were done at one year, three years, and five years after operation. LVDs, FS, LVDd (left ventricular end-diastolic dimension), EF (ejection fraction, Pombo's method) were evaluated. In the Group A of the AVR cases, it took three years for the left ventricular function to recover, but in the MVR cases, the left ventricular function didn't reach to the normal range, moreover tended to worsen five years after operation. One of the reasons may be attributable to the preoperative hemodynamic states in which the left ventricular after-load is smaller in the MVR cases. For such long-standing unfavorable condition, the left ventricle could not get enough recovery. In the Group B of both cases, there is no difference of the postoperative recovery of the left ventricular function. Postoperative cardiac function must be discussed upon the serial evaluation after operation.