[The characteristics of the microcirculatory disorders in rheumatic mitral defects and chronic cor pulmonale]

Patients with rheumatic mitral diseases and chronic cor-pulmonale associated with pulmonary hemodynamic disorders were examined for the intravital status of microcirculation in the bulbar conjunctiva. Systemic derangement of microcirculation was discovered, with all the components (resistive, metabolic, capacitance) being involved. In patients suffering from rheumatic fever, the analogous microcirculatory alterations were revealed in the conjunctiva and in the visceral pleura of pulmonary biopsy specimens. This reflects the generalized character of microcirculatory response under pathological conditions. The significance of microcirculatory disorders in the pathogenesis of arterial pulmonary hypertension, respiratory and heart failure is under discussion.