[Pulmonary function in patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease. Preoperative evaluation]

The aim of the study was to observe the mechanism of cardiac-airway interaction in patients with rheumatic mitral valve disease. 61 pts with combined mitral disease and 9 with isolated mitral stenosis (42 females, 28 males; mean age 47 y) were studied. They were in NYHA functional class II-IV (36 pts in II, 22 in III, 12 in IV class). Each patient was assessed by clinical, noninvasive cardiological investigation (estimation of left atrium dimension, mitral gradient, mitral area and right ventricular systolic pressure on echocardiographic examination and relative heart volume on fluoroscopy) and lung function studies i.e. spirography, plethysmography, flow-volume curve and histamine provocation test. The bronchial hyperreactivity was found in 20 pts (75% undergoing test-mean PC40 = 0.1474 mg/ml). In 7 pts histamine test was negative. The reversible airway obstruction (after 200 micrograms FNT) was observed in 43 (61%) pts.

In pts with mitral valve disease we observed significant bronchial hyperresponsiveness to histamine and reversible airway obstruction with no correlation between pulmonary function parameters and cardiological status.