Valvular heart disease (VHD) determines non-physiological, inefficient blood flow within the left ventricle, resulting in abnormal vortex formation and energy loss (EL).
This study to assess EL throughout the whole cardiac cycle in patients with severe primary left-sided VHD before cardiac valve intervention.
The result that EL is not uniform during the cardiac cycle, as diastole seems significantly more affected than systole.
VFM could provide further insights into the pathophysiology of heart valve disease and help to evaluate the efficacy of the procedure (repair/replacement) performed.

NR Pugliese, L Del Punta, G Falcetta, L Besola, N De Biase, M Mazzola, C Giannini, AS Petronio, S Taddei, S Masi, A Colli, "Evaluation of energy loss in patients with severe primary valvular heart disease before cardiac valve intervention", European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging, 23 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jeab289.356.