BACKGROUND Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated systemic vasculitides have a variety of presentations, but cardiac valvular involvement is rarely diagnosed and its management is not established. CASE PRESENTATION We report the case of a 44 year old man who presented with an ANCA-associated systemic vasculitis and aortic regurgitation of unusual mechanism. Transthoracic and ...

Valvular heart disease is the most important cardiac manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, severe mitral valve regurgitation necessitating valvular surgery due to SLE is rare. We report a 22-year-old male patient presenting with symptoms of congestive heart failure initially in whom lupus and severe mitral valve regurgitation were diagnosed. In our patient, four of the A...

We report a case of a left atrial myxoma associated with mitral valve regurgitation in a pregnant patient, describing the importance of transoesophageal or transthoracic echocardiography, preoperatively and during the operation, as a useful tool to rule out any associated valvular damage or mitral annular dilatation as an underlying cause of mitral regurgitation.

Background Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is increasingly used to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis at high surgical risk. The severity of post-implantation valvular or paravalvular regurgitation has been shown to adversely affect patient outcome. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and severity of aortic regurgitation (AR) at 6 months post-TAVI using card...

B ecause of its wide availability, low cost, versatility, and clinical use, stress echocardiography has become increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in the assessment of patients with regurgitant valvular heart disease. Exercise testing is favored compared with pharmacological stress testing for risk stratification in asymptomatic patients and can identify what might otherwise be considere...

Echocardiographic mitral valve E point-septal separation (EPSS) has been found to be a useful hemodynamic index. Prior studies have shown a high negative correlation between EPSS and left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) in selected patients, but the utility of this index with valvular heart disease has not been examined in detail. Cardiac catheterization and M-mode echocardiographic data wer...

BACKGROUND The combination of fenfluramine and phentermine was a widely used obesity treatment before the withdrawal of fenfluramine for an association with heart valve regurgitation. The prevalence and clinical significance of regurgitation among patients treated with these medications has yet to be fully established. METHODS AND RESULTS To evaluate the potential association between the dura...