[1- and 2-dimensional echocardiographic studies on the evaluation of the severity of mitral stenosis based on valve kinetics]

It is reported on the results of unidimensional and bidimensional echocardiographic investigations of the valve kinetics in 64 patients with a pure or predominating mitral stenosis (27 patients stage II, 37 patients stage III). The authors establish that the decreased amplitude of the opening and the diminution of the early diagnostic back stroke movement of the anterior mitral valve, the index of the closure of the mitral valve, the evacuation index of the atrium and the relation filling index to evacuation index of the atrium allow of a subdivision into stages in the group, that, however, they do not permit a secure judgment of the degree of severity in the individual case. The determination of the opening surface of the mitral valve from the bidimensional picture brings a clear enlargement of the findings. Finally the authors adopt a definite attitude to the value of echocardiography in the preoperative diagnostics.