Does the Aortic root contract or relax during ventricular systole ?

Does the Aortic root contract or relax during ventricular systole ? Some time back I asked this question in one of my classes for the fellows and found no takers. Not even a guess? I realized later it was indeed a tough question. The heart is not the only dynamic organ as we generally believe. The entire aorta which is the extension of the left ventricle has to be dynamic according to the physics of ventricular-arterial coupling and the momentum of blood flow. What happens to the aortic dimension with systole? Even prior to systole, there is evidence, Aorta gets ready to receive the blood from the LV. So, the Aortic root is larger at the onset of systole. (Ref 2 It is been generally agreed now, that systolic dimensions are slightly more by a few mm. That is why aortic dimensions are measured in peak systole as per the American society of echocardiography. There has been an opposite argument as well. The diastolic aortic dimension must be definitely a little larger when the aortic valve is in the closed position and the aortic root becomes a reservoir of blood that’s meant to be distributed during diastole. What determines the aortic dimension on a moment-to-moment basis? Is it the, LV contractility, pressure, or volume, or the compliance of the aortic wall that determines the aortic dimension and pulsatility? How does a prosthetic valve alter this? Where can we get the answer? A wonderfully done study from University Medica...
Source: Dr.S.Venkatesan MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Anatomy of heart Uncategorized aortic root dynamism cardiology research topic Source Type: blogs