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Optimal vortex formation time index in mitral valve stenosis

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Abstract

Left ventricular vortex formation time (VFT) is a novel dimensionless index of flow propagation during left ventricular diastole, which has been demonstrated to be useful in heart failure and cardiomyopathy. In mitral stenosis (MS), flow propagation in the LV may be suboptimal. We studied VFT in varying degrees of MS. Echocardiography was performed on 20 healthy controls and 50 cases of rheumatic MS. Patients with atrial fibrillation, LV ejection fraction < 50% and other valvular heart diseases were excluded. VFT was obtained using the length-to-diameter ratio (L/D), where L is the continuous-wave Doppler velocity time integral stroke distance, divided by D, the mitral leaflet separation index. This was correlated against varying degrees of MS severity, left atrial (LA) volume and function. In controls, VFT was 3.92 ± 2.00 (optimal range) and was higher (suboptimal) with increasing severity of mitral stenosis (4.98 ± 2.43 in mild MS; 7.22 ± 2.98 in moderate MS; 11.55 ± 2.67 in severe MS, p < 0.001). VFT negatively correlated with mitral valve area (R2 = 0.463, p < 0.001) and total LA emptying fraction (R2 = 0.348, p < 0.001), and positively correlated with LA volume index (R2 = 0.440, p < 0.001) and mean transmitral pressure gradient (R2 = 0.336, p < 0.001). More severe MS correlated with suboptimal (higher) VFT. The restricted mitral valve opening may disrupt vortex formation and optimal fluid propagation in the LV. Despite the compensatory increase in LA size with increasingly severe MS, reduced LA function also contributed to the suboptimal LV vortex formation.

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Author notes

  1. Anand Ambhore and **ghao Nicholas Ngiam are co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, National University Heart Centre, 1E Kent Ridge Rd, NUHS Tower Block, Level 9, Singapore, 119228, Singapore

    Anand Ambhore, Nicholas W. S. Chew, Joshua P. Y. Loh & Kian-Keong Poh

  2. Department of Medicine, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore

    **ghao Nicholas Ngiam & Thanawin Pramotedham

  3. Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore

    Giap Swee Kang

  4. Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    Kian-Keong Poh

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  1. Anand Ambhore
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  2. **ghao Nicholas Ngiam
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  3. Nicholas W. S. Chew
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  4. Thanawin Pramotedham
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  5. Joshua P. Y. Loh
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  6. Giap Swee Kang
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Correspondence to Kian-Keong Poh.

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Ambhore, A., Ngiam, J.N., Chew, N.W.S. et al. Optimal vortex formation time index in mitral valve stenosis. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 37, 1595–1600 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-020-02140-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-020-02140-9

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