Objective: Hemodynamic forces are potential determinants of aortic atherosclerosis. Aortic regurgitation (AR) alters the flow pattern in the aorta. However, the association between AR and aortic atherosclerosis is not well known.
Methods: We assessed the presence, extent and distribution of atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta of 42 patients with chronic AR and compared them to 40 patients with similar risk factor profile for atherosclerosis and no valvular disease.
Results: There was no difference in the extent of atheroma in the ascending aorta and aortic arch between patients with and without AR. Descending aortic atheroma was evident in 25 patients with AR (60%) and 12 patients without AR (30%, p=0.01). AR was found to be the only predicting factor for the presence of aortic atherosclerosis in the descending aorta (odds ratio 4.1; 95% CI 1.2-14.3, p=0.03).
Conclusions: There is an increased prevalence of descending aortic atherosclerosis in patients with significant AR.
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