Differentiating Pseudo Versus True Aortic Stenosis in Patients Without Contractile Reserve: A Diagnostic Dilemma
Authors
Choudhary, Khushal V.Kakouros, Nikolaos
Aurigemma, Gerard P.
Parker, Matthew
Fitzgibbons, Timothy P.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of MedicineDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2021-03-24Keywords
aortic stenosisdobutamine
ischemia
low flow
low gradient
transcutaneous aortic valve replacement
Cardiology
Cardiovascular Diseases
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Low-flow, low-gradient (LF-LG) aortic stenosis with depressed left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction is a diagnostic challenge that is frequently encountered in the management of valvular heart disease. True-severe LF-LG aortic stenosis is amenable to valve replacement, whereas pseudo-severe aortic stenosis requires management of the underlying cardiomyopathy. This distinction is important as it serves as a critical branch point in guiding therapeutic decisions. We present the case of a 71-year-old male with LF-LG aortic stenosis who had a reduced and biphasic augmentation of LV flow during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE). Further evaluation revealed a stenotic left subclavian artery proximal to the left internal mammary artery graft to the left anterior descending (LAD) artery. Bypass of the subclavian stenosis reversed the LAD territory ischemia and confirmed pseudo-severe aortic stenosis on repeat DSE. Traditional DSE parameters are inconclusive in patients with LF-LG aortic stenosis with poor flow reserve. Calculation of the projected orifice area or measurement of aortic valve calcium via multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) may be required in this scenario. Most importantly, reversible causes of LV dysfunction identified during DSE for LF-LG aortic stenosis require a different treatment approach than that of true aortic stenosis.Source
Choudhary KV, Kakouros N, Aurigemma GP, Parker MW, Fitzgibbons T. Differentiating Pseudo Versus True Aortic Stenosis in Patients Without Contractile Reserve: A Diagnostic Dilemma. Cureus. 2021 Mar 24;13(3):e14086. doi: 10.7759/cureus.14086. PMID: 33903843; PMCID: PMC8064426. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI
10.7759/cureus.14086Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/41829PubMed ID
33903843Related Resources
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Copyright © 2021, Choudhary et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Distribution License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.7759/cureus.14086
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Copyright © 2021, Choudhary et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.