Comperison of left ventricular mass regression after aortic valve replacement with different types of valvular prosthesis in aortic stenosis

In patients with aortic stenosis left ventricular hypertrophy develops. Aortic valve replacement will cause left ventricular mass regression in time [3], and this will reduce the long term complications related with left ventricular hypertrophy such as sudden death, congestive heart failure and resistant arrhythmias [4]. For this reason, the most important criteria that effects the long term survival is left ventricular mass regression after aortic valve replacement. It shows differences in left ventricular mass regression rates between different characteristics of prosthetic valves for aortic valve replacement. In older patients biprosthesis are preferable where as mechanic prosthesis are preferred for young patients. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of three different prosthetic valves in left ventricular mass regression after aortic valve replacement. For this reason, the patients with aortic valve replacement because of pure aortic stenosis in our clinic between May 2001 and December 2004 involved in the study. Patients were divided into three groups. Group I involves patients with Hancock II Bioprosthesis, Group II involves patients with Medtronic monoleaflet and Group III involves patients with St. Jude bileaflet prosthesis. In this study the statistical analyses were made with GraphPad Prisma V.3 pocket program. The results were evaluated with the statistical significance level of p<0.05. When the results are evaluated, statistical significant reduction in LVM have been shown in all groups (p=0,0001), but this reduction show no statistical significant difference between groups (p=0,054, p=0,363). As a result, all three valves have similar reduction effect on left ventricular mass regression at midterm follow up but we think that to make a more definite conclusion the long term findings on more patients must be assessed.