8. What is the pathophysiology of mitral stenosis? Increased left atrial pressure is necessary to push blood through a stenotic mitral valve from the left atrium into the left ventricle. Increased left atrial pressure is transmitted retrograde into the pulmonary veins and pulmonary capillaries and ultimately into the pulmonary arteries. It gives the patient a sensation of dyspnea. A left atrial...

Phonocardiography is-often more valuable than electrocardiography in timing mechanical events in the cardiac cycle. This study shows that the opening and closing of the mitral valve are related to the length of the previous heart cycle as demonstrated by the variations occuring in aluricular fibrillation. These variations in valve action are controlled by the pressure gradient between left auri...

OBJECTIVE To analyze late clinical evolution after surgical treatment of children, with reparative and reconstructive techniques without annular support. METHODS We evaluated 21 patients operated upon between 1975 and 1998. Age 4.67+/-3.44 years; 47.6% girls; mitral insufficiency 57.1% (12 cases), stenosis 28.6% (6 cases), and double lesion 14.3% (3 cases). The perfusion 43.10+/-9.50 min, and...

Left atrial pressures were determined by transbronchial puncture in 53 patients with mitral valve disease of proved type, and were analyzed by several methods. Two new methods of analysis, the rate of the y descent divided by the mean left atrial pressure, and the y descent for each 0.1-second interval divided by the mean left atrial pressure afforded the best separation of the patients with mi...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to investigate the changes induced on the pressure-area relation of the left atrium in patients with mitral stenosis after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty. BACKGROUND Left atrial (LA) function is influenced by changes in LA afterload. The latter is increased in mitral stenosis as a result of increased resistance to blood flow imposed by the stenotic mitr...

A 34-year-old woman with exertional dyspnoea and clinical diagnosis of mitral stenosis underwent echocardiographic evaluation. Moderate to severe rheumatic mitral stenosis was confirmed but an unsuspected mass lesion in the dilated left atrium attached to inter-atrial septum in fossa ovalis region was found. Although the attachment was in favour of myxoma, it was difficult to differentiate with...

Left atrial pressures were determined by transbronchial puncture in 53 patients with mitral valve disease of proved type, and were analyzed by several methods. Two new methods of analysis, the rate of the y descent divided by the mean left atrial pressure, and the y descent for each 0.1-second interval divided by the mean left atrial pressure afforded the best separation of the patients with mi...

Left atrial pressures were determined by transbronchial puncture in 53 patients with mitral valve disease of proved type, and were analyzed by several methods. Two new methods of analysis, the rate of the y descent divided by the mean left atrial pressure, and the y descent for each 0.1-second interval divided by the mean left atrial pressure afforded the best separation of the patients with mi...

A 44-year-old woman presented with dyspnea on exertion. Her past medical history included rheumatic heart disease and she had been followed up for rheumatic mitral valve stenosis for the last 4 years. Her symptoms had worsened over the 3 months prior to her presentation. She was evaluated in the emergency department and electrocardiographic examination revealed atrial fibrillation. Sinus rhythm...