Nonivasive Assessment of Severity of Mitral Stenosis With Mechanocardiography and Echocardiography

The measurements of systolic time intervals and echocardiographic parameters were performed on 36 cases of mitral stenosis and the results were correlated with the hemodynamic observations.Increase in left ventricular ejection time (LVET), decrease in preejection period (PEP) and decrease in PEP/LVET were observed in about two thirds of the patients. The diastolic descent rate of the mitral valve (DDR) tended to be low, while the pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) tended to be high in the cases with increased PEP/LVET. However, there was no significant correlation between the systolic time intervals and the cardiac index or the calculated mitral valve area (MVA).A significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the DDR and the PAWP (r=-0.62, P<0.01), while a significant positive correlation was demonstrated between the DDR and the MVA (r+0.57, P<0.01). However, the correlation of the DDR with the cardiac index was not statistically significant.The above observations indicate that the measurements of systolic time intervals and the echocardiographic studies are of limited value for the assessment of hemodynamic status and the cardiac performance in mitral stenosis when used alone. A thorough analysis of all available clinical and laboratory informations is neccessary for the precise evaluation of the patients.