R-values in aortic valves were mainly positive for the correlation between echocardiographic parameters and the different inflammation markers, except of mostly negative r-values for early T cell activation marker Foxp3 and chronic T cell activation marker CD44, while most r-values were negative in sham, suggesting the inflammatory reaction in the aortic valve upon WI, known to go in hand with increased fibrosis [5] to be associated with more severe AS, but also with myocardial hypertrophy and preserved heart function. Here, CD44 is linked to cardiac hypertrophy.