Association between flow skewness and aortic dilatation in patients with aortic stenosis

Abstract

We investigated association between hemodynamic characteristics and aortic dilatation in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Eighty patients with severe AS (mean age, 67.2 +/- 12.5 years) who underwent multi-detector computed tomography and phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging at the ascending aorta were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with an ascending aorta diameter > 4 cm had a significantly higher forward flow rate at systole (28.5 +/- 6.0 vs. 36.2 +/- 8.6 L min, P < 0.001), and retrograde flow rate at systole (11.3 +/- 4.2 vs. 18.8 +/- 5.8 L min, P < 0.001), fractional reverse ratio (a ratio of retrograde flow rate to forward flow rate; 34.1 +/- 11.9% vs. 43.5 +/- 18.0%, P = 0.014), flow skewness R-skewness (a ratio of sum of forward and retrograde systole flow to net systole flow rate; 2.4 +/- 0.7 vs. 3.2 +/- 1.0, P < 0.001). The presence of bicuspid aortic valve (BAV; odds ratio [OR] 72.01, 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.57-490.46, P < 0.001), Left ventricular mass index (LVMI; OR 1.02 /g/m(2); CI 1.00-1.04, P = 0.043) and R-skewness (OR 5.6 per 1, 95% CI 1.8-17.1, P = 0.001) were associated with aortic dilatation. BAV, LVMI, and increased R-skewness in the ascending aorta are associated with aortic dilatation in patients with AS.