[The ventricular dysrhythmia profile in patients with mitral valve pathology]

To study the relation between ventricular arrhythmias and echocardiographic left ventricular data, in patients with mitral valve pathology.

Retrospective study, based on Holter department data on ventricular arrhythmias.

We studied 128 patients: 36 were male, 92 were female. Their mean age was 52 +/- 11 years. Three groups were outlined: 54 patients had mitral stenosis (ME), 15 patients had mitral disease (MD) and 59 had associated aortic pathology (MA).

Patients clinical records were reviewed according to an evaluating protocol. In each Holter recorded the number of premature ventricular contractions per hour (PVC/h), as well as the existence of complex ectopic forms (CF) was considered. Echocardiographic left ventricular data used was: diastolic diameter (DD), systolic diameter (DS) and shortening fraction (SF). Treatment was not significantly different between the three groups, when 24 hour monitoring was performed.

We found the average number of PVC/h to be 14 +/- 45 in the ME group, 58 +/- 85 in the MD group and 52 +/- 11 in the MA group. There is significant difference between ME and either DM, or MA. In patients with ME significant relations were found between the occurrence of CF a greater DS (p < 0.01) and a lesser SF (p = 0.02). No significance was found for the occurrence of PVC. In patients diagnosed as DM, the occurrence of PVC/h (> or = 10) was related with greater DD (p = 0.01) or DS (p = 0.04), but there was no relation to SF. Finally in the MA group PVC occurrence was strongly related (p < 0.01) with all the echocardiographic values and thinner relations were found towards SF (p = 0.02 for DD, p = 0.03 for DS and p = 0.05 for SF).

Ventricular arrhythmic occurrence is less frequent in ME. However, in the three groups, there is worsening left ventricular arrhythmic frequency in direct relation to greater ventricular dimensions, or compromised systolic function.