Correlation between Murmurs and Echocardiographic Findings; From an Imaging Cardiologist Point of View

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

• Heart murmurs in adults are a frequent reason for echocardiography referrals in European cardiology clinics.
• Murmurs can signify minor age-related changes or significant valvular disease requiring intervention.
• Existing data suggest a generally poor correlation between auscultation findings and echocardiographic severity of heart valve disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review differential diagnoses of physiological and pathological heart murmurs.
• To describe current referral practices for echocardiography in patients with murmurs.
• To present a single-center analysis of the correlation between auscultation and echocardiography, focusing on aortic and mitral valve diseases.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of existing literature.
• Analysis of a single-center experience correlating auscultation with echocardiographic findings.
• Focus on aortic and mitral valve diseases.

Main Results:

• Auscultation findings often show poor correlation with echocardiographic assessment of heart valve disease severity.
• Diastolic murmurs, in particular, may have a weak correlation with echocardiographic findings.
• Clinical examination, including careful auscultation, is essential for predicting and interpreting echocardiographic results.

Conclusions:

• A thorough cardiac auscultation before echocardiography is mandatory.
• Clinical examination and auscultation can aid in the interpretation of echocardiographic findings in adult patients with heart murmurs.
• Further research is needed to explore the correlation between clinical examination, point-of-care ultrasound, and standard echocardiography.