[Echocardiographic diagnosis of obstructive intermittent dysfunction of a mitral disc prosthetic valve]

Echocardiographic findings in six patients with obstructive intermittent dysfunction of mechanical disc prosthetic mitral valve (OIPD) are described. All with a clinical picture of gradual installation and progressive dyspnea of several weeks of evolution. TTE with Bd recordings were performed in all of them with "oriented" M mode from apical 4/C view. The findings were compared with a control group of 14 patients with normal prosthetic valves. In the group of OIDP, all patients displayed a variable delay in the opening of the prosthetic disc, registered as a "protodiastolic step" in M mode. In three patients, the dysfunction was due to a thrombus. In two, due to pannus. Three were operated. One with thrombolysis. In two, the treatment consisted of heparin and increased oral anticoagulation. None die during the acute handling of the intermittent dysfunction. Two patients died: one seven months later due to cardiac failure and the other a year later due to prosthetic rethrombosis. In patients with mechanical prosthetic valve in mitral valve position and progressive dyspnea, the presence of a variable delay in the opening of the prosthesis is diagnostic of OIDP and requires urgent handling with thrombolysis or surgery.