Influence of Prosthesis Size and Left Ventricular Mass on Left Ventricular Diastolic Reserve in Patients with Aortic Valve Prostheses
J. R. Gonzalez-Juanatey MD, M. Vega Fernandez MD, F. Gude MD, D. Durán Muñoz MD, Varela Román MD, C. Iglesias Carreño MD

To study the influence of valve size and left ventricular (LV) mass on long-term LV diastolic reserve in patients subjected to aortic valve replacement for stenosis, 74 patients with replacement aortic valve were studied by means of Doppler echocardiography, at rest and during peak effort. Mean diastolic reserve was 29.3 ml, and mean stroke volume reserve 23.2 ml; in neither case were there any significant differences between valve types, or among valve sizes. The diastolic reserve of patients subjected to aortic valve replacement on account of stenosis is considerable, and independent of valve size.