SWE can detect myocardial remodelling in aortic stenosis patients undergoing aortic valve replacement

Abstract

Background: Aortic stenosis (AS) progresses over time with the development of diffuse and eventually replacement fibrosis. Extensive fibrosis is associated with a worse outcome after aortic valve replacement (AVR). Therefore, early markers of LV deterioration are needed to optimize AVR timing. Cardiac shear wave elastography (SWE) can non-invasively assess myocardial stiffness via the detection of shear waves (SW) after e.g. mitral valve closure (MVC). The speed of these waves is directly related to myocardial stiffness and SW speed (SWS) has shown to correlate with markers of fibrosis, such as T1 mapping in other study populations.