Thirty-two cases of interventricular septal defect and aortic insufficiency. Clinical, hemodynamic and surgical features

Aortic regurgitation associated with ventricular septal defects in adults. Clinical course, haemodynamic, angiographic and echocardiographic findings

In 125 consecutive patients, aged greater than or equal to 10 years (mean 27, range 10-64), evaluated for isolated ventricular septal defects (VSD) the initial prevalence of aortic regurgitation (AR) was 12/125. Forty-one patients were operated on, and post-operative mortality was 3/6 in patients operated on for VSD and AR and 1/35 in those operated on for VSD alone. All but one of the patients have been followed until death or beyond the age of 30 years (mean 42, range 31-73) and a prospective restudy has been performed after a mean observation time of 15 years (range 4-21). The incidence of new cases of AR arising during this period was 10/111. AR was severe in 5 cases (one died from heart failure), moderate in 1 and mild in 4. Surgical repair of AR and VSD was performed in 3 cases. Common characteristics of patients who developed AR were advanced age, male sex, history of bacterial endocarditis, small subaortic VSDs and tricuspid aortic valves without prolapse. Echocardiography revealed larger aortic root diameter (p less than 0.001), increased eccentricity factor (p less than 0.001) and increased left ventricular dimensions (p less than 0.02) in those with complicating AR. AR in adults with VSD may have an unpredictable clinical course; it may be difficult to assess clinically and the need for close clinical control is emphasized. Echocardiography remains of considerable value in selected cases.

Long follow-up (to 43 years) of ventricular septal defect with audible aortic regurgitation

From 1946 to March 1989, 92 patients (33 women and 59 men) were seen with ventricular septal defect (VSD) and audible aortic regurgitation (AR). The VSD was subcristal in 62 patients, subpulmonary in 21 and unknown in the remaining 9. The median age of onset of AR was 5.3 years. The risk of developing AR was 2.5 times greater in those with a subpulmonary VSD. The aortic valve was tricuspid in 90% and bicuspid in 10%. Prolapse was seen in 90% of those with subcristal VSD and in all with subpulmonary VSD. Pulmonary stenosis was seen in 46% of the patients with gradients ranging from 10 to 55 mm Hg. The incidence of infective endocarditis was 15 episodes/1,000 patient years. Among 20 patients followed medically, for 297 patient years, 1 died (1959) and most have been stable, including 2 followed for greater than 30 years. In the 72 patients operated on, there were 15 perioperative and 5 late deaths. Operations consisted of VSD closure alone in 7, VSD closure and valvuloplasty in 50 and VSD closure and aortic valve replacement in the other 15. Valvuloplasty was more effective in those operated on under age 10 compared to those older than 15 years (46 vs 14%). The durability of the valvuloplasty was 76% at 12 years and 51% at 18 years.

Usefulness of electromagnetic flowmetry in intraoperative evaluation of aortic regurgitation associated with ventricular septal defect

In 38 patients with aortic regurgitation (AR) associated with ventricular septal defect (VSD), indications for aortic valvuloplasty (AVP) or aortic valve replacement (AVR) were investigated by assessing AR ratio, which was measured by electromagnetic flowmetry of the ascending aorta during the operation. Residual AR was evaluated by auscultation postoperatively. Patients were assigned to group A if they underwent VSD closure alone and to group B if they underwent AVP in addition to VSD closure; patients who had no postoperative AR were assigned to group I and those with persistence of AR to group II. Thus, the patients were separated into 4 subgroups; A-I (9 patients), A-II (5 patients), B-I (20 patients) and B-II (4 patients). In subgroup A-I, mean AR ratio decreased from 9% to 7% postoperatively, in A-II from 19% to 16% (p less than 0.1), in B-I from 36% to 9% (p less than 0.01) and in B-II from 44% to 20% (p less than 0.05). An AR ratio of more than 25% should be regarded as an absolute indication for AVP or AVR. If the AR ratio is between 20 and 25%, the indication of AVP is determined by inspection of the aortic valve. A good correlation was found between AR ratio and the AR rate determined by the aortic angiographic findings (Sellers classification): grade I AR corresponded to an AR ratio of 5 to 15%, grade II to 20 to 35%, grade III to 25 to 50% and grade IV to 45% or higher (r = 0.87, p less than 0.01).