Einarsen E, et al. - Researchers investigated how persistent post-aortic valve replacement (AVR) left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy was influenced by BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² in this sub-analysis of Simvastatin Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) study. Participants included 399 patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) who underwent surgical AVR, for these subjects, clinical and echocardiographic data were analyzed. A standardized pre- and post-AVR echocardiogram was performed in all patients, grouped by BMI. Using logistic regression analysis, predictors of persistent LV hypertrophy after AVR were determined. A median follow-up of 196 days was performed after AVR, during which a greater prevalence of LV hypertrophy was observed in patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² vs those with BMI 25-29.9 kg/m² and those patients with BMI <25 kg/m² (71% vs 47% and 37%). Also, lower LV midwall shortening was seen post-AVR in patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² vs patients with normal weight, independent of patient prosthesis mismatch. Overall, in patients with severe AS, the presence of BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² before AVR was strongly and independently related to persistent post-AVR LV hypertrophy.