Studies in Mitral Stenosis

WITH THE development of surgical technics for the relief of mitral stenosis which promise to be both effective and not unreasonably hazardous, it has become important to reassess this syndrome in regard to various pathologic factors that may affect the clinical course of the disease and have a bearing on the selection of patients for operation. Among such factors, the interrelations between the degree of stenosis, the presence of organic pulmonary vascular lesions, the occurrence of emboli, and rheumatic activity, and the manner in which cardiovascular breakdown and death occur are important. This study was undertaken with these points in view. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cases studied were from the post-mortem files of the Mallory Institute of Pathology, of the Boston City Hospital, between January, 1945, and June, 1949, and include the autopsy and clinical records of all patients whose conditions was diagnosed at post-mortem examination during this period as rheumatic