Association of Sclerotic Aortic Valve as an Indicator of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease and its Risk Factors

Abstract

Introduction: Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) is defined as calcification, increased thickening of a trileaflet aortic valve in the absence of obstruction of ventricular outflow and the antegrade velocity across the aortic valve less than 2.5 m/s. It is characterized by a gradual progression beginning with calcium deposition that may ultimately transform to aortic stenosis (AS) with obstruction of outflow from the left ventricle. Aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) presence is associated with an increase in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Aims & Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the correlation between AVS with the involvement of coronary arteries and the risk factors. Materials and Methods: The relationship among aortic sclerosis, the presence and severity of CAD and cardiovascular endpoints in patients presenting with chest pain was studied by an observational cross-sectional study. A total of 301 Patients were included for the study and all the patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography and diagnostic coronary angiography to assess AVS and to diagnose the extent of coronary artery obstruction respectively. Results: Patients aged >60 years with aortic valve sclerosis had higher prevalence of coronary artery disease with p value of <0.05 & AVS is considered as independent predictor of obstructive CAD. Conclusion: Our study predicts that AVS is strongly correlated with the extent of coronary artery obstruction and that echocardiographic evaluation of AVS in patients undergoing coronary angiography may be considered as a substitute marker for the extent of coronary atherosclerosis and thus of CAD.