Academic Editors: Brian Tomlinson and Takatoshi Kasai
Background: Patients with ischemic stroke are vulnerable to heart
failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) because these conditions share
common risk factors. Although evaluation of the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and
proximal descending thoracic aorta is an essential step to determine the source
of the causative embolism, the relationship between the degree of aortic atheroma
and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function has not been extensively
investigated. Methods: We analyzed the transesophageal and transthoracic
echocardiography in ischemic stroke patients. Patients with previous coronary
artery disease, valvular heart disease of more than moderate degree, and an LV
ejection fraction of less than 50% were excluded. The relationships between the
grade of the aortic atheroma, aortic stiffness indexes, and diastolic functional
indexes were evaluated. Results: In 295 patients, the atheroma grade was
significantly correlated with aortic stiffness index, ratio of mitral annular and
inflow velocities (E/e’), left atrial volume index, and LV diastolic elastance.
With further adjustment for age, hypertension, diabetes, estimated glomerular
filtration rate, left atrial volume index, and LV mass index, the significance of
the atheroma grade was attenuated. In the subgroup analysis, the atheroma grade
was significantly and independently related to E/e’ in women (