[Echocardiographic evaluation of associated valve lesions in mitral stenosis]

When mitral stenosis is associated with other valve lesions, diagnosis, prognosis and the treatment strategies are affected. Mitral valve prolapse may occur in some pathological settings that affect mitral apparatus. We investigated the incidence of valve lesions including mitral valve prolapse that accompany mitral stenosis and assessed the relation between echocardiographic measures.

Two hundred and one patients (31 male, 170 female) between 16 and 72 years of age (mean age 40.9+/-11.4 years) with mitral stenosis were included in the study. Patients were divided into three groups according to the mitral valve area obtained by echocardiography using planimetric method as Group I (MVA<1.1 cm(2)), Group II (MVA -1.1-1.5 cm(2)) and Group III (MVA >1.5 cm2).

Mitral stenosis with mitral regurgitation, aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, combined aortic valve disease, tricuspid regurgitation and tricuspid stenosis were found in 117 (58.2%), 84 (41.8%), 18 (9%), 9 (4.5%), 62 (30.8%) and 6 (3%) patients, respectively. Twenty- three patients (11.4%) had mitral valve prolapse in only anterior leaflet. Nobody of patients had mitral valve prolapse of posterior mitral valve leaflet. Age, gender, rhythm, degree of stenosis, degree of mitral and aortic regurgitations, mean pressure gradient, left atrial diameter, ejection fraction and valve score did not differ in patients with and without mitral valve prolapse.

Our study has shown that valve lesions including mitral valve prolapse frequently accompany mitral stenosis and the incidence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with mitral stenosis is high.