Impact of global left ventricular afterload on left ventricular function in asymptomatic severe aortic stenosis: a two-dimensional speckle-tracking study

Abstract

In asymptomatic patients with severe AS, LV ejection fraction markedly underestimates the extent of myocardial systolic impairment. Intrinsic myocardial dysfunction is particularly common in patients with increased global LV afterload, and especially in the subset of patients with low-flow AS.