Why the study?
Can echocardiography accurately assess the extent of mitral valve calcification compared to direct pathological examination?
Can echocardiography accurately assess the extent of mitral valve calcification compared to direct pathological examination?
Echocardiography can identify significant mitral valve calcification (>80 mg) through multiple dense parallel E-F echoes, though it cannot reliably differentiate between mild calcification and fibrosis.
Echocardiography may flag heavy mitral calcification via E-F echoes; leaves open accuracy for milder disease and needs larger validation.
The mitral valve was assessed by echocardiography in 20 patients, aged 27 to 67 years, who subsequently underwent mitral valve replacement. After removal, the mitral valve cusps were examined by direct measurement, radiography, and quantitative calcium extraction. Increased thickness of the E-F echo was found where calcification or fibrosis was present, differentiation by echocardiography alone being unreliable. However, multiple dense parallel E-F echoes were found in all 10 patients with more than 80 milligrammes of calcium in the valve, while a single thin E-F echo indicated the absence of significant calcification or fibrosis.
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Raj et al. (1976) studied this question.
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