Prognostic Value of Myocardial Fibrosis in Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis

AS is the most common valvular heart condition in the Western world. In response to increased afterload imposed by AS adaptive left ventricular (LV) remodelling occurs which in a course of a disease transitions from LV hypertrophy to maladaptive changes in the myocardium leading to cardiac decompensation and symptoms development. This transition is predominantly driven by myocardial fibrosis and myocyte cell death. Increasing evidence have demonstrated that presence of myocardial fibrosis, detected by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), could serve as an early marker of LV decompensation and predict adverse outcomes in patients with aortic stenosis. Currently, the indications for valvular replacement are based on the stenosis severity evaluated by echocardiography and the presence of symptoms. The objective of the project is to identify parameters of non-invasive imaging modalities (two-dimensional echocardiography with an extended myocardial deformation analysis, 1.5 T CMR with T1 parametric map and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) predictive of cardiac decompensation and to evaluate the prognostic significance of myocardial fibrotic changes in patients with severe degenerative AS. In patients with suspicion of cardiac amyloidosis, 99mTc-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (DPD) scintigraphy will be performed. Study design: a prospective, open, case-driven, multicentre study (Lithuania, Denmark). Investigators will assess LV structural and functional alterations before and 12 months after aortic valve intervention. Cardiac imaging data will be aligned with histopathological data from myocardial tissue samples collected at the time of aortic valve replacement in SAVR group. In patients with suspicion of cardiac amyloidosis, DPD scintigraphy and further evaluation regarding amyloidosis will be performed.