Calcific deposits in stenotic mitral valves. Extent and relation to age, sex, degree of stenosis, cardiac rhythm, previous commissurotomy and left atrial body thrombus from study of 164 operatively-excised valves.

The presence or absence and the extent of calcific deposits in excised stenotic mitral valves was determined by radiographs of the excised valve in 164 patients aged 26 to 72 years. The extent of the mitral calcific deposits was determined by the percent of the valvular circumference containing the deposits = grade 0 (14 patients); grade I = less than 25% (43 patients); grade II = 25-50% (34 patients); grade III = 51-75% (39 patients); and grade IV = greater than 75% (34 patients). The amount of calcific deposits in the stenotic mitral valves correlated with sex and with the mean diastolic pressure gradient across the mitral valve (P less than 0.05), but it did not correlate with the patient's age, cardiac rhythm, pulmonary arterial or pulmonary arterial wedge pressure, previous mitral commissurotomy, presence of thrombus in the body of left atrium or the presence of disease of one or more other cardiac valves.