[Echocardiography in the diagnosis of paravalvular fistulae in mitral prosthesis]

Echocardiographic findings were analysed in 25 patients after surgical application of biological mitral valve prosthesis BAKS-M and 10 patients with paravalvular fistulas developing after similar operations employing different types of prosthesis. A tendency to increased postoperative size of the heart, left-atrial systolic turbulent flow, normalized ventricular septal movement and high-frequency oscillations of the aortic valve cusps are characteristic echocardiographic signs of paravalvular fistula.