Abstract 16908: Valve Calcium Severity is Unrelated to Diet in Severe Aortic Stenosis

Introduction: Diet and hyperlipidemia are correlated to coronary atherosclerosis, whose progression may be modulated by statin therapy. Aortic stenosis and calcification are atherosclerotic processes but they are not influenced by statin therapy. Limited data is available on the influence or correlates of diet on aortic valve calcification. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that diet may be related to aortic valve calcification (AVC) on computed tomography (CT). Methods: Consecutive patients with severe or critical aortic stenosis (AS) were evaluated in a busy Heart Valve Clinic and underwent both detailed dietary evaluation with a rate your plate (RYP) questionnaire and a high resolution CT as part of their work-up for valvular intervention (medical therapy, surgical or transcatheter aortic valve replacement). AVC volume was quantified using a validated method based on a higher threshold of detection from the contrast CT (850 Hounsfield Units, HU-850). Dietary data was separated according to patients in the highest tertile of AVC. Results: A total of 117 patients were evaluated. The upper tertile threshold of AVC was identified as 284.5 mm 3 (figure: examples above and below this threshold are shown). Higher scores on RYP identify heart-healthy choices. There were no differences in the overall total RYP score or percentages of specific heart-healthy dietary choices according to AVC severity (table). Conclusions: AVC severity is unrelated to heart-healthy dietary choices in patients with aortic stenosis.