Primary mitral regurgitation (MR) is the first cause of valvular regurgitation in Western countries. Echocardiography is the cornerstone for diagnosing MR and more specifically for establishing its aetiology and mechanism, for quantifying its severity, progression, and repercussion and for assessing the likelihood of successful of valve repair. Two-dimensional/three-dimensional transthoracic an...

Deciding when to operate on a patient with chronic aortic regurgitation may be extremely difficult. The timing of surgery requires consideration of the etiology and pathophysiology of the aortic regurgitation, because aortic valve replacement carries morbidity and mortality that must be weighed against the potential problems of continued medical management. Guidelines for the use of surgery in ...

The afterload-corrected end-systolic volume index (ratio of end-systolic stress to endsystolic volume index [ESS/ESVI]) was previously useful in predicting outcome in patients with mitral regurgitation undergoing valve replacement. Therefore we tested ESS/ESVI together with standard hemodynamic variables as possible predictors of outcome in 39 patients with various valvular lesions who underwen...

BACKGROUND Risk factors for developing heart valve and ascending aortic disease are based mainly on retrospective data. To elucidate these factors in a prospective manner, we have performed a nested case-referent study using data from large, population-based surveys. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 777 patients operated for heart valve disease or disease of the ascending aorta had previously p...

A report from the American Society of Echocardiography’s Nomenclature and Standards Committee and The Task Force on Valvular Regurgitation, developed in conjunction with the American College of Cardiology Echocardiography Committee, The Cardiac Imaging Committee Council on Clinical Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Echocardiograp...

Libman-Sacks endocarditis is a classic but rarely symptomatic manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus, and valvular surgery is needed in a few cases. We present a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus and Libman-Sacks endocarditis that progressed rapidly to severe mitral regurgitation that needed surgery; surgical valve repair was decided upon. The literature on this topic is reviewed.

Valvular heart disease frequently occurs as a consequence of premature atherosclerosis in individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Studies have primarily focused on aortic valve calcification in heterozygous FH, but there is paucity of data on the incidence of valvular disease in homozygous FH. We performed echocardiographic studies in 33 relatively young patients (mean age: 26 year...

In a patient with severe tricuspid regurgitation and mild pulmonary stenosis due to carcinoid heart disease cross sectional echocardiography showed nodular thickening and coaptation of the tricuspid leaflets at the beginning of systole. The leaflets were, however, seen to be increasingly pulled apart as right ventricular systole proceeded. This finding, which is probably due to traction on the ...

BACKGROUND Significant myxomatous mitral regurgitation leads to progressive left ventricular (LV) decline, resulting in congestive heart failure and death. Such patients benefit from mitral valve surgery. Exercise echocardiography aids in risk stratification and helps decide surgical timing. We sought to assess predictors of outcomes in such patients undergoing exercise echocardiography. METH...

ricuspid regurgitation (TR) is the most common valvular abnormality after orthotopic heart transplantation OHT), with a reported incidence of up to 84%, depending on the definition of significant regurgitation and urgical methods of OHT employed. While multiple etiologies are implicated in the development of TR after HT, endomyocardial biopsy (EMB), performed to detect allograft rejection, is t...