Echocardiography in elderly patients with systolic murmurs

Clinical examination, phonocardiography and echocardiography were performed on 49 elderly patients with systolic murmurs. Patients with mitral murmurs had increased left atrial and left ventricular diameters, increased mitral valve closure rate and excursion with a higher frequency of previous congestive cardiac failure. There was no difference in aortic root diameter or aortic valve excursion between the two groups. Patients with mitral murmurs were more likely to have an abnormal echocardiogram and abnormalities of mitral valve leaflet function were most commonly observed.