Ambiguous Heart Murmurs Clarified by Echocardiogram

Echocardiograms provided the basis for complete diagnoses of the following conditions: (1)idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosisin five patients in the absence of typical physical findings; (2)left atrial myxomain two patients with clinical features of mitral stenosis, andright atrial myxomain a patient with a heart murmur (one of a total of five); (3)right ventricular volumeoverload in three patients with atrial septal defect and one patient with tricuspid regurgitation; (4) combinedmitral and aortic valve diseasein three patients. In five other patients with mitral stenosis unsuspected aortic stenosis was demonstrated. Echocardiography is a valuable aid in cardiac diagnosis. (JAMA230:873-876, 1974)