Impact of Ozaki procedure in a patient with severe aortic stenosis and critically low left ventricular ejection fraction

Low-flow aortic stenosis and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Valvular aortic stenosis (AS) is the most frequent valvular disease in developed countries. Treatment decisions in AS are mainly based upon the symptomatic status of the patient and the severity of AS. Doppler echocardiography represents the standard tool for detecting and assessing the severity of the disease. Under the same denomination of severe AS [aortic valve area (AVA) < 1 cm(2)], severa...

Exercise Echocardiography in Asymptomatic Patients with Severe Aortic Stenosis and Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

The management of asymptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) remains controversial. Recent series reported that early aortic valve replacement might be associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, the risk-benefit ratio should be carefully evaluated and early surgery only be proposed to a subset of asymptomatic patients considered at higher risk. Exercise echocardiography ca...

Low gradient severe aortic stenosis with normal ejection fraction.

Sir, A 18 year old female patient was diagnosed to have tubercular cervical lymphadenopathy and started on antitubercular therapy (ATT). The lymphadenopathy regressed, however, after four months of ATT, patient developed jaundice, abdominal distension and swelling of bilateral lower limbs. She had no bleeding manifestation or altered behaviour. She had no history of jaundice in the past, histor...

Symptomatic low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: now less of a clinical conundrum.

Low Gradient, Low Ejection Fraction Aortic Stenosis.

Low gradient aortic stenosis can be caused by critical aortic stenosis causing left ventricular impairment or by more moderate aortic stenosis coexisting with another cause of left ventricular impairment. The main challenges are to differentiate these two states and then to determine whether the left ventricle is likely to recover after aortic valve surgery. Exhaustive echocardiography is neces...