Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function in aortic valve disease.

Echocardiography was used to study left ventricular size and contraction in 128 patients with isolated aortic valve disease -45 patients with aortic stenosis, 25 with mixed aortic valve disease and 58 with aortic regurgitation. Left ventricular measurements included the end-diastolic internal dimension (LVIDd), mural thickness (PWTd), an index of circumferential myocardial contraction-fractional shortening (FS=[(LVIDd-LVIDs)/LVIDd] X 100)--and stroke volume (LVSV). In the absence of left ventricular failure, measurements in aortic stenosis were characteristic of pressure overload with normal LVIDd and FS and an increase in PWTd related to the severity of stenosis; in aortic regurgitation, there was volume overload with increases in LVIDd and PWTd which were related to the severity of regurgitation, while FS was slightly reduced. In mixed aortic valve disease there was evidence of both pressure and volume overload. When left ventricular failure was associated with aortic stenosis, mixed aortic valve disease and chronic aortic regurgitation, FS was usually reduced. By contrast, in a recent patient with acute severe aortic regurgitation, FS was normal despite left ventricular failure, suggesting pump rather than myocardial failure.