[State of the left-cardiac cavities after mitral valve prosthesis]

The article discusses the results of dynamic X-ray examination of the left heart cavities in 86 patients who underwent mitral valve prosthetics for mitral valvular disease. The follow-up period was 42 months. The left-ventricular volume was measured by a special method. It was established that positive time course of the left heart cavities in patients with the sinus rhythm is encountered in 1-3 months after the operation, and by the end of the first year the left cavities are stabilized and often attain their normal size. In patients with cardiac fibrillation, the left heart cavities decrease in size less frequently and at later periods, and total normalization does not occur.