Relation of mass/volume ratio to ECG abnormalities and symptoms in children with aortic stenosis/insufficiency

In this study, to determine whether symptoms and ECG abnormalities relate to left ventricular (LV) mass, volume, and mass/volume (M/V) ratio in children with aortic stenosis (AS) and/or insufficiency (AI), the authors examined 23 patients with echocardiography. LV volumes and mass were calculated with echocardiography. Also, the peak and mean gradients across the aortic valve and left ventricular meridional wall stress (ESWS) were determined by use of echo Doppler techniques. Fourteen patients (mean age 5.84 +/- 3.49 years) had AS alone. Of these, 14 had symptoms and seven had abnormal-appearing ECGs. Nine patients (mean age 6.91 +/- 4.35 years) had As/AI. Of these nine, four had symptoms and two had ECG abnormalities. The authors observed that the incidences of symptoms and ECG abnormalities were higher in the patients with AS than in those with AS/AI. There was no significant correlation between symptoms and ECG abnormalities with peak gradient, mean gradient, valve area, LV mass, volume, and mass/volume ratio in patients with AS/AI. However, significant correlation was found between symptoms and ECG abnormalities and ESWS in AS/AI patients. In conclusion, ECG abnormalities and symptoms do not always indicate the severity of AS and AS/AI.