[The mitral valve in mitral valve defect. Histological and clinical correlations]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the histologic changes in the excised mitral valves and the clinical findings in patients with mitral stenosis (with or without regurgitation). The Study group consists of 26 men and 23 women ranged in age from 24 to 56 years. The mitral valves were removed in a uniform manner by one surgeon during mitral valve replacement. The controls were 13 mitral valves removed at necropsy from patients who died of extracardiac causes. Excised valves were fixed in 5% solution of formaline. The extent of calcification was determined by radiographs. Tissue from the center of the anterior and posterior leaflet were selected as the samples. The blocks were paraffin embedded and processed in the conventional manner. For histological examination 11.5 um thick sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin, Alcian blue, Van Gieson and Von Koss stain. Then the sections were examined under light microscope. We estimated the degree of fibrotic disorganization of architecture, vascularization, acid mucopolysaccharide content, number of fibroblasts, and the presence of calcific deposits and lymphoid infiltrates. The control valves had normal architecture with thick "fibrosa". In all stenotic mitral valves we found complete or partial disorganization of architecture. The most common change was hyalinization present in 94% valves, vascularization in 84% and calcification present in 66% of valves. In 33% of stenotic valves were present infiltrations by lymphocytes. We found a significant correlation (p less than 0.05) between the presence of lymphoid infiltrates and the duration of disease prior to surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)