Increased pulmonary transit time is an early marker of cardiac decompensation in aortic stenosis and aortic regurgitation

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary transit time (PTT) is a quantitative biomarker of cardiopulmonary status encompassing biventricular function, left atrial volume and left ventricular (LV) filling pressures. PTT and pulmonary blood volume (PBV) are surrogates of pulmonary congestion, which precedes onset of symptoms in heart failure and may add value in the assessment of patients with valve disease and unclear symptoms (1,2). PTT and PBV can be measured by perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR)(3). This study aims to assess the association between PTT and left ventricular structure and function in aortic stenosis (AS) and regurgitation (AR).