Surgery for aortic regurgitation in women. Contrasting indications and outcomes compared with men

Indications for surgical correction of aortic regurgitation have been established mostly in men and have not been validated in women. The outcome of this surgical correction in women is unknown.

Baseline characteristics and postoperative outcomes were compared between 51 women and 198 men undergoing surgery for isolated aortic regurgitation between 1980 and 1989. Compared with men, women had surgery rarely for severe left ventricular enlargement (systolic diameter > or = 55 mm in 11% versus 27%, P = .031; diastolic diameter > or = 80 mm in 0% versus 16%, P < .0001) and more often for class III to IV symptoms (59% versus 32%, P < .0001). Operative mortalities were similar in women and men (3.9% and 4.5%, respectively). Among operative survivors, 10-year survival was worse for women than for men (39 +/- 9% versus 72 +/- 4%, P = .0002) and, in contrast with men, was worse than expected for women (P < .0001). Independent predictors of late survival were different for men (age and ejection fraction) and women (age and concomitant coronary bypass grafting). By multivariate analysis, female sex was an independent predictor of worse late survival (adjusted relative risk, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.04 to 3.11).

The generalization to women of the unadjusted left ventricular diameter surgical criteria established in men results in irrelevant criteria almost never reached in women, who often undergo surgery after developing severe symptoms. After surgery, women exhibit an excess late mortality, suggesting that surgical correction of aortic regurgitation should be considered at an earlier stage in women.