Left ventricular relaxation at rest and during handgrip in aortic valve disease before and after valve replacement

In 14 patients (pts) with aortic valve disease (A VD) left ventricular (LV) relaxation was assessed by the time constant (T) of LV pressure (tipmanometer) fall before and 19 months after successful aortic valve replacement (A VR). 12 control pts (CO) were studied by the same technique. Preoperative LV ejection fraction in AVD (64%) and in CO (69%) did not differ. In AVD T was increased (60 ms) as compared to the CO (38 ms, P< 0.05). During handgrip (HG) there was a similar increase of LV peak systolic pressure (LVSP), heart rate and peak measured contractile element velocity of shortening in A VD and in the CO. L V end-diastolic pressure varied minimally in both groups. T decreased during handgrip in CO (38 to 33 ms, P<0.01) and remained unchanged in A VD. Following AVR T at rest decreased insignificantly to 52 ms, but remained increased (P<0.025) as compared with CO. During postoperative HG however, a decrease to 47ms (P<0.05) was noted. Postoperative angiographic LV muscle mass (105 g/m2) and LVSP at rest (137 mmHg) remained elevated (P