Effect of progression of left ventricular hypertrophy on coronary artery dimensions in aortic valve disease

Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.

OBJECTIVES. The effect of progression of left ventricular hypertrophy on coronary artery dimensions was studied in patients with aortic valve disease. METHODS. Cross-sectional area of the left and right coronary arteries was determined by quantitative coronary arteriography in 12 control subjects and in 10 patients with aortic valve disease at baseline and after a follow-up period of 66 months. RESULTS. The cross-sectional area of the left coronary artery was larger in patients with aortic valve disease than in control subjects (left anterior descending artery 13 vs. 8 mm2, p < 0.001; left circumflex artery 13 vs. 6 mm2, p < 0.001). At the follow-up examination, cross-sectional area of the left coronary artery increased (left anterior descending artery 17 mm2, p < 0.01 vs. baseline; left circumflex artery 15 mm2, p < 0.01 vs. baseline). The cross-sectional area of the right coronary artery was not different in patients with aortic valve disease from that in control subjects. Left ventricular muscle mass was larger in patients with aortic valve disease both at baseline (269 g, p < 0.001) and after follow-up examination (339 g, p < 0.001) than in control subjects (136 g). The appropriateness of coronary artery size with respect to muscle mass was evaluated by normalizing cross-sectional area of the left coronary artery (left anterior descending plus left circumflex artery) per 100 g of left ventricular muscle mass (mm2/100 g). This index was 10.9 mm2/100 g in control subjects, and decreased in subjects with aortic valve disease from 10.3 mm2/100 g at baseline to 8.6 mm2/100 g at the follow-up measurement (p < 0.05 vs. control values). CONCLUSIONS. In patients with aortic valve disease, the progression of left ventricular hypertrophy is associated with an increase in left anterior descending and left circumflex coronary artery dimensions, whereas the size of the right coronary artery remains unchanged. Despite the enlargement of the left coronary artery, the cross-sectional area of the left coronary artery per 100 g of left ventricular muscle mass decreased. Hence, the increase in coronary artery size appears to be inadequate when the severity of left ventricular hypertrophy increases.

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