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[The use of echocardiography in predicting clinical courses of mitral regurgitation]
Abstract:
We analyzed the relation of left ventricular size and performance to clinical courses and surgical outcomes using echocardiography. Group A consisted of 19 patients with mitral regurgitation (MR) who presented congestive heart failure of grade III or IV, and group B consisted of 58 patients with MR whose cardiac function was grade I or II. Clinical follow-up spanned one to nine years, with an average of 4.5 years. At the initial examination, the average end-diastolic LV dimension (LVDd) and its index (LVDdI), left atrial dimension (LAD) and its index (LADI) and cardiothoracic ratios (CTR) were significantly greater in group A (LVDd 61.2 +/- 7.1 mm, LVDdI 41.5 +/- 6.9 mm/m2, LAD 51.4 +/- 8.4 mm, LADI 35.4 +/- 11.1 mm/m2, CTR 63.4 +/- 8.6%) than in group B (LVDd 52.0 +/- 7.9 mm, LVDdI 35.0 +/- 6.4 mm/m2, LAD 37.2 +/- 9.6 mm, LADI 25.4 +/- 6.5 mm/m2, CTR 48.9 +/- 4.4) (p less than 0.001). The LVDd and LAD were less in mitral valve prolapse than in rheumatic MR or MR due to flail mitral valves. In rheumatic MR, congestive heart failure did not become prominent until the left ventricle and atrium were markedly enlarged. In group A, patients whose LVSVI were over 40 ml/m2 and LAD were over 50 mm took clinical downhill courses under medical treatment and were referred for surgery. The risk of death (medically or surgically) was higher in patients whose LAD, LVSVI or CTR was markedly increased (LAD greater than 70 mm, LVSVI greater than 60 ml/m2 or CTR greater than 70%). The rates of change in LAD and LVDd were 1.6 and 0.9 mm/year in group B, but they became accelerated after the onset of congestive heart failure, and were 2.6 and 6.4 mm/year in group A. In surgical cases, the LVDd returned to the normal range postoperatively, but their LAD remained in the abnormal range in all but one case. We concluded that echocardiography is an indispensable method for a follow-up study of MR and that it may be helpful in predicting individual clinical courses and surgical effects.