**12. Strain imaging in aortic regurgitation**

In contrast to aortic stenosis, aortic regurgitation (AR) generates LV volume overload with progressive LV dilatation, initially with preservation of LVEF and wall thickness (eccentric LV hypertrophy), but eventually with the development of LV systolic dysfunction expressed by a drop in LVEF (**Figure 2**). Several studies have described the value of strain imaging in the management of patients with aortic regurgitation. The results and conclusion statement of these studies are summarized in the following paragraphs:

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**Figure 2.**

*global longitudinal strain at −14%.*

*Clinical Applications of Strain Imaging in Aortic Valve Disease*

• In patient with AR, LV strain analysis can detect early subclinical myocardial dysfunction before the development of impaired LVEF. Using tissue Doppler imaging, Marciniak et al. [42] demonstrated that patients with severe AR had significant impairment of LV longitudinal strain, in contrast to patients with

• Di Salvo et al. [44] evaluated 26 young patients (3-16 years) with asymptomatic AR and found LV average longitudinal strain to be significantly reduced in patients with progressive AR compared to those with stable AR (−17.8 ± 3.9% vs. −22.7 ± 2.7%, p = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, the only significant risk factor for progressive AR was average LV longitudinal strain (p = 0.04, cut-off value > −19.5%, sensitivity 77.8%, specificity 94.1%, area under the curve 0.889). These authors concluded that two-dimensional strain imaging

*Severe aortic regurgitation: this patient had severe aortic regurgitation with normal LV end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (EDV, ESV) and preserved systolic function as estimated by a normal LV ejection fraction (EF) of 68%; however, there is already evidence of insipient LV dysfunction as demonstrated by a mild drop in* 

moderate AR where there was no difference with controls.

• Smedsrud et al. [43] evaluated 47 AR patients and 31 controls with Longitudinal peak systolic strain rate and found they were significantly decreased in the patient's population (P < 0.001). Global longitudinal peak systolic strain rate was also significantly decreased in aortic stenosis and regurgitation compared to the control group (−1 ± 0.5, −0.9 ± 0.3, and −1.6 ± 0.3, P = 0.001). As far as the comparison between patients with aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation, neither global strain rate nor strain rate for each wall was found to be different. They concluded that there was reduced global longitudinal strain in patients with chronic AR with preserved LV ejection fractions. Global longitudinal strain might therefore disclose incipient myocardial dysfunction with a consequent potential for improved timing of aortic

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.93341*

valve surgery.
