[Clinical and functional correlations of left atrial excursion characteristics in patients with mitral valve...

Left atrial myocardial excursions were intraoperatively recorded in patients with mitral valvular disease (33 patients with mitral stenosis and 17 with mitral regurgitations). Three types of atrial myocardial excursions were identified. There was a high correlation between the types of myocardial excursions and the incidence of heart failure. The patients with Types I and II myocardial excursions had no virtually heart failure, those with Type III showed the highest (70%) incidence of heart failure. It is concluded that intraoperative assessment of left atrial myocardial excursions is of great significance in patients with mitral valvular disease.