Echocardiographic studies of the mitral valve were performed in 57 patients with pure or predominant mitral stenosis who subsequently underwent surgery (30 commissurotomy, 27 valve replacement). Mitral valve calcification was graded heavy (thick, conglomerate echoes), light (multiple, discrete linear echoes) or none (thin, single or duplicate signals). Valve mobility, measured as the excursion ...

A Free-floating ball valve thrombus in the left atrium is a rare clinical entity and has been reported infrequently in Indian literature despite the high incidence of Rheumatic mitral valve stenosis. Early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention are mandatory otherwise it may lead to catastrophic consequence. We are presenting our experience with one such case which was diagnosed clinically ...

A 61 year old man presented with mitral regurgitation and glomerulonephritis caused by suspected infective endocarditis. His glomerulonephritis remitted on immunosuppression but mitral valve replacement with a Carpentier-Edwards porcine xenograft later proved necessary. The patient became dialysis dependent and cadaveric renal allografting was complicated by delayed graft function and refractor...

In 33 patients with confirmed mitral valve disease, the mitral valve flow velocity traces were recorded by means of a directional Doppler ultrasonic velocimeter using the transseptal route, and correlated with the clinical and haemodynamic data. In all cases, characteristic anomalies of the mitral flow velocity patterns were noted and could be related to the type of lesion, stenosis, regurgitat...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a new method for patients with severe aortic stenosis at high surgical risk, such as previous cardiac surgery. The presence of mechanical mitral prosthesis might complicate TAVI because of possible interference between the both prosthesis. Some reports have already demonstrated the feasibility of TAVI in such patients. We report our experience w...

A 73-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for a scheduled percutaneous transcatheter balloon valvuloplasty of a stenotic tricuspid bioprosthesis. The patient had a history consistent with exertional dyspnea, abdominal distension, and edema of the lower extremities resistant to diuretic treatment over the previous few months. Forty-three years prior, she underwent aortic valve replacement...

Marfan's syndrome (MFS) is an inherited autosomal dominant disorder of connective tissue with mutation on the fibrillin-1 gene encoding for fibrillin. This frequently involves the cardiovascular system with prevalence is 1:5000-10,000. The clinical major criteria involve the skeletal and ocular apparatus and the cardiovascular and central nervous system. In Marfan's syndrome mitral valve prolap...

IN 21 INFANTS, each with symptomatic congenital aortic stenosis and left ventricular cavity of nearly normal size studied clinically,' evidence for mitral insuffiiegncy was frequently encountered. In five of the patients left ventriculography was done and, in each, mitral insufficiency was demonstrated. This background of experience led us to study, in particular, the mitral valve in specimens ...

Mitral valve stenosis is the most common valve lesion in pregnancy. In spite of an optimized clinical treatment and a favorable valve anatomy according to Wilkins and Block score, in symptomatic patients, percutaneous intervention is shown to be of great importance. In these patients, avoiding x-ray exposure as much as possible is recommended so as to protect the fetus from the deleterious effe...

The efficacy of balloon dilatation of the mitral valve by a bifoil (2 x 19 mm) or trefoil (3 x 15 mm) catheter (single catheter technique) was assessed in 53 patients (mean age 28) with mitral stenosis, most of whom were women. The procedure was unsuccessful in three patients. After balloon dilatation the left atrial pressure decreased from 22 mm Hg to 13 mm Hg and the mitral valve gradient fro...