Introducing some advantages of cardiac ultrasound (through chest wall and trans-esophagus) in diagnosis of mitral stenosis. In Vietnam, Some kinds of cardiac ultrasound were applied since 1973 including M-mode ultrasound, 2D ultrasound, Doppler, and color ultrasound. Internal treatment and surgical treatment (including in closed or opened cardiac surgery, percutaneous mitral balloon valvotomy) are very efficient
Mitral Valve Stenosis ; ultrasonography ; Heart Diseases ; diagnosis ; Therapeutics

Aortic regurgitation is a common valvular heart disease, usually the result of rheumatic fever, or syphilis, and rarely of congenital origin. It is frequently associated with other valvular heart disease, especially mitral valve disease. It can be diagnosed by the presence of pulse pressure widening, a Corrigan pulse, and an early decreascendo diastolic murmur at the left sternal border between the second and third intercostal spaces. After the clinical application of cineaortography in the diagnosis of valvular disease, Segal et al (1964) first reported rheumatic aortic regurgitation without an audible murmur in patients having mitral valve disease. The importance of discovering aortic reguritation in patients with predominent mitral disease has begun to be appreciated recently, especially as commisurotomies for the relief of mitral stenosis are performed more frequently. Nowadays eventhough the severity of aortic regurgitation is often not evident preoperatively, aortic regurgitation can become very evident when mitral stenosis is relieved. This study was comprised of seventeen patients with silent aortic regurgitation which was confirmed by cineaortography at Severance Hospital from January, 1970 to August, 1976. 1. Of the seventeen patients, 12 patients were associated with mitral stenosis, 4 with mitral steno-insufficiency, and 1 with mitral insufficiency. 2. Silent aortic regurgitation was suggested from the accompanying clinical features such as chest pain, apical heaving, and left ventficular hypertrophy pattern on both roentgenogram of the chest and electrocardiogram. 3. The severity of the aortic regurgitation was mild to moderate; 7 of the 17 patients being grade I, and 10 patients being grade II on cineaortogram.
Aortic Valve Insufficiency* ; Blood Pressure ; Chest Pain ; Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Murmurs ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Rheumatic Fever ; Syphilis ; Thorax

PURPOSE: Congenital mitral stenosis(CMS) is a rare anomaly accounting for 0.4-0.5% of total heart disease. CMS which cases needed surgical correction in infancy are even rare. In this study, we analyzed 11CMS patients of less than 2 year of age who needed surgical corrections, in order to find out their diagnoses, the characteristics, the results of operation and prognoses, and the progress of disease without surgical correction. METHODS: Retrospective studies were performed on eleven CMS patients of less than 2 years of age admitted to Sejong General Hospital between Jan. 1989 and Aug. 1999. RESULTS: The surgeries were performed on 9 out of 11 enrolled patients. The median age was 8(3-20) months and the median weight was 5(4-9)kg. The mitral valves of the patients were classified anatomically as supramitral ring(4), parachute mitral valve(3), "typical" symmetric hypoplastic mitral valve(2) and asymmetric hypoplastic mitral valve(2). Three patients died after the surgical correction. Among them, fibroelastosis of left ventricle was found during the surgery in two cases, and the other case was considered to be in Eisenmenger state. 5. Reoperations were performed on 3 out of 6 surviving patients. While one case was an early reoperation, two case were late ones. CONCLUSION: The patients with severe CMS under the age of two can be surgically corrected with an acceptable success rate. Poor results were observed, however, if the decisions for surgical intervention were delayed.
Diagnosis ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Ventricles ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis* ; Prognosis ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies

A precise pre-procedural evaluation of mitral valve (MV) pathology is essential for planning the surgical strategy for severe mitral regurgitation (MR) and preparing for the intraoperative procedure. In the present case, a 38-year-old woman was scheduled to undergo MV replacement due to severe MR. She had a history of undergoing percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty due to rheumatic mitral stenosis during a previous pregnancy. A preoperative transthoracic echocardiography suggested a tear in the mid tip of the anterior mitral leaflet. However, the "en face" view of the MV in the left atrial perspective using intraoperative real time three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (RT 3D-TEE) provided a different diagnosis: a torn cleft in the P2-scallop of the posterior mitral leaflet (PML) with rupture of the chordae. Thus, surgical planning was changed intraoperatively to MV repair (MVRep) consisting of patch closure of the PML, commissurotomy, and lifting annuloplasty. The present case shows that intraoperative RT 3D-TEE provides more precise and reliable spatial information of MV for MVRep and facilitates critical surgical decision-making.
Adult ; Balloon Valvuloplasty ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Female ; Humans ; Lifting ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Mitral Valve* ; Pathology ; Pregnancy ; Rupture

Adult ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; diagnosis ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Thrombosis ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of cardiovocal syndrome (or Ortner's syndrome) due to cardiovascular disease.

METHODS:
Design: Case report
Setting: Tertiary University Hospital
Subjects: Two

RESULTS: Two patients with Cardiovocal syndrome, one due to an aortic saccular aneurysm and the other due to severe mitral stenosis underwent surgery to correct the underlying cardiovascular disease. Post-operatively, the hoarseness resolved completely in the patient with mitral stenosis but persisted in the patient with aortic saccular aneurysm.

CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular disease should be considered as a differential diagnosis in a patient with hoarseness. A high index of suspicion is needed to make an early diagnosis which can lead to surgical correction of the potentially life-threatening, underlying cardiovascular disease.

The complete echocardiographic evaluation of the patient with transposition of the great arteries requires diagnosing not only the ventriculoarterial connections (transposition) but only the atrial situs and the atrioventricular connections. The echocardiographic features of the discordant ventriculoarterial connection with a subpulmonary conus and absent subaortic conus include a left-sided infundibulum connection the left ventricle to the pulmonary artery, a somewhat small subaortic ventricular septal defect through which the mitral valve is in fibrous continuity with the aortic valve, subvalvular and/ or valvular pulmonary stenosis, and a characteristic coronary artery pattern. The spatial relationship of the great arteries, the chamber sizes, and the associated defect including atrial septal defect/patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction provide supportive evidence of the diagnosis. Also the evaluation of coronary artery anatomy has become an major part of the preoperative echocardiographic examination.
Aortic Valve ; Arteries* ; Conus Snail ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Ductus Arteriosus ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

Cardiac papillary fibroelastomas (CPF) are benign cardiac tumors and usually discovered incidentally during echocardiography. This report describes the case of a 68-year-old man, referred to cardiology for multiple masses of the left ventricle and left atrium. The transthoracic echocardiography revealed multiple oscillating masses in the left ventricle and aortic valve, non-mobile mass in the left atrium with severe mitral stenosis and moderate aortic regurgitation. The patient underwent surgical resection of the masses with valve replacements. Histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of CPF in the left ventricle and aortic valve, thrombus in the left atrium.
Aged ; Aortic Valve ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Cardiology ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Heart Atria ; Heart Neoplasms ; Heart Ventricles ; Heart* ; Humans ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Thrombosis*

PURPOSE: Kabuki syndrome is a multiple congenital malformation syndrome, with characteristic facial features, mental retardation, and skeletal and congenital heart anomalies. However, the cardiac anomalies are not well described in the Korean population. We analyzed the cardiac anomalies and clinical features of Kabuki syndrome in a single tertiary center. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted for a total of 13 patients with Kabuki syndrome. RESULTS: The median age at diagnosis of was 5.9 years (range, 9 days to 11 years and 8 months). All patients showed the characteristic facial dysmorphisms and congenital anomalies in multiple organs, and the diagnosis was delayed by 5.9 years (range, 9 days to 11 years and 5 months) after the first visit. Noncardiac anomalies were found in 84% of patients, and congenital heart diseases were found in 9 patients (69%). All 9 patients exhibited left-side heart anomalies, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome in 3, coarctation of the aorta in 4, aortic valve stenosis in 1, and mitral valve stenosis in 1. None had right-side heart disease or isolated septal defects. Genetic testing in 10 patients revealed 9 novel MLL2 mutations. All 11 patients who were available for follow-up exhibited developmental delays during the median 4 years (range, 9 days to 11 years 11 months) of follow-up. The leading cause of death was hypoplastic left heart syndrome. CONCLUSION: Pediatric cardiologist should recognize Kabuki syndrome and the high prevalence of left heart anomalies with Kabuki syndrome. Genetic testing can be helpful for early diagnosis and counseling.
Abnormalities, Multiple ; Aortic Coarctation ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Cause of Death ; Counseling ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genetic Testing ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Diseases ; Heart* ; Humans ; Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome ; Intellectual Disability ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

Electrocardiography has been long an important tool in cardiac diagnosis and, with advances in electrocardiography, the accuracy of the electrocardiographic diagnosis has been greatly increased. Though the most accurate methods for quantitative diagnosis of mitral valvular disease are cardiac catheterization and ventriculography, these procedures are time consuming, expensive, and not without risk, thus, it would be helpful if routine catheterization of the heart could be avoided in patients who are potential condidates for mitral valvulotomy. This could be done if reliable electrocardiographic criteria could be found for estimating the amount of obstrcution and leak at the mitral valve. As mitral valvular dysfunction progress, changes (hypertrophy and/or dilation) in the left atrium and both ventricles are inevitable. Many authors attempted to characterize the electrocardiographic findings of such changes according to the specific lesion of the mitral valve. In addition to atrial fibrillation, characteristic P wave changes and their diagnostic significance have been reported (Macruz et al., 1958; Arevalo et al., 1963: Morris et al., 1964). The diagnostic importance of QRS voltage difference in precordial leads has been stressed in the differential diagnosis of specific lesions of mitral valvular disease (Janton et al., 1954: Bateman and January, 1955: Wierum and Glenn, 1957: Bentivoglio et al., 1958: Imperial et al., 1960). Semle and Pruitt(1960) reported that a mean QRS electrical axis of +91degrees or more degrees was the most frequent positive single index of increased total pulmonary resistance in mitral stenosis, and Fowler et al. (1955) stated that precordial lead V1 was very helpful in evaluating the degree of pulmonary hypertension. In Korea there are only a few reports on the electrocardiographic changes in mitral valvular disease and the correlation of electrocardiographic findings and hemodynamics (Oh et al., 1961: Kim, 1970: Kim, 1971). It would be evident that the various electrocardiographic findings noted in western races can't be applied to Koreans. The main objectives of this study are: 1. To determine the electrocardiographic characteristics of pure mitral valvular disease and the differentiation between the specific lesions of pure mitral stenosis, pure mitral insufficiency and combined lesions of mitral stenosis and insufficiency. 2. To know whether the characteristic electrocardiographic changes of mitral stenosis are directly related to the narrowed valve area or to the hemodynamic abnormalities secondary to obstruction. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 139 cases of isolated mitral valvular disease were reviewed: of these 93 were cases of pure mitral stenosis, 18 were pure mitral insufficiency, and 28 were combined mitral stenosis and insufficiency. Of the total patients, 68 were male and 71 were female. The ages ranged from 10 to 54 years with an average of 35.6 years. Diagnosis was based on cardiac catheterization and supplemented by cienangiocardiography. The conventional 12 lead electrocardiogram was taken at normal sensitivity and at a paper speed of 25mm/sec. The mitral valve area was estimated according to the Gorlin's formula and cardiac output was determined by the direct Fick's principle. The electrocardiograms were analyzed with respect to: 1. Rhythm (atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm) 2. Presence or absence of P-mitrale 3. Terminal P force in lead V1 (by the method of Morris et. al., 1964) 4. Mean QRS electrical axis in frontal plane 5. QRS voltage in percordial leads(V1S, V5R, V6R & V1S+V(5-6)R) 6. R/S ratio in lead V1 7. Conduction disturbance of right bundle branch block In patients with pure mitral stenosis the electrocardiographic findings of atrial fibrillation P-mitrale, terminal P force in lead V1 were correlated with the hemodynamic data of mean pulmonary artery pressure, mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure and mitral valve area. An attempt was made to ascertain whether or not a quantitative correlation could be found. A patient showing electrocardiographic pattern of right bundle branch block was excluded in the evaluation of QRS voltage in lead V1 and mean QRS electrical axis in frontal plane. RESULTS AND SUMMARY: 1. P wave abnormality, which was noted in most (131/139) cases, is apparently a characteristic and most frequent electrocardiographic finding in mitral valvular disease. Of the P weve abnormalities the development of atrial fibrillation and P-mitrale were thought to be related to the duration of the illness rather than to the types of lesion or hemodynamic abnormalities secondary to valvular dysfunction. However, the terminal P force in lead V1 was thought to be related to the mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure rather than to narrowing of the valve. 2. 15 patients showed the electrocardiographic pattern of right bundle branch block. In patients with mitral stenosis this electrocardiographic pattern was noted at almost all levels of mean pulmonary artery pressure, mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure, mitral gradient and mitral valve area. 3. Mean QRS electrical axis and QRS voltage in precordial leads; There was no case which deviated leftward more than +30degrees even among cases with a predominant or pure mitral insufficiency. Although the difference of mean value in mean QRS electrical axis and QRS voltage in precordial leads according to the types of the lesion was significant, this difference was generally not helpful in the differential diagnosis in individual patients because of much overlapping among cases. 4. There was no definite electrocardiographic criteria to differentiate clearly the types of mitral valvular disease. However, the following aspects of electrocardiogram may be useful in differential diagnosis. a. Difference of QRS voltage in precordial leads: The volage of V1S and V1S+V(5-6)R in all patients with pure mitral insufficiency was over 1mm and 11mm respectively. That of V1S+V(5-6)R in all patients with pure mitral stenosis was below 39mm. b. R/S ratio in lead V1: There was no case showing "R wave only" in lead V1 among patients with pure or predominant mitral insufficiency. c. Mean QRS electrical axis in frontal plane: The mean QRS electrical axis of all patients with pure mitral stenosis deviated rightward more than +60degrees in all except one case. None of the patients with pure mitral insufficiency deviated rightward more than +110degrees. 5. Relationship between hemodynamics and electrocardiography in paitents with mitral stenosis: Among the hemodynamic abnormalities, mean pulmonary artery pressure showed a close relationship with the following aspects of the electrocardiogram. a. R/S ratio in lead V1:The mean value of mean pulmonary artery pressure (45.9+/-3.8mmHg) in groups showing R/S>1 was significantly elevated as compared with that (34.8+/-1.5mmHg) of groups showing R/Sdegrees1. b. Mean QRS electrical axis in frontal plane: There was a weak positive correlation (r=+0.53) between mean pulmonary artery prersure and QRS electrical axis in the frontal plane. The QRS axis of all patients with a mean pulmonary artery pressure of 41mmHg or more was +91degrees or more except for one case. c. Terminal P force in lead V1: The difference of mean value in mean pulmonary artery pressure according to the size of terminal P force in lead V1 was significant in all cases.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Bundle-Branch Block ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cardiac Output ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Continental Population Groups ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Electrocardiography* ; Female ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Korea ; Male ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Wedge Pressure