Dimensionless Index of the Mitral Valve for Evaluation of Degenerative
Mitral Stenosis
Abstract
Purpose: Degenerative mitral stenosis (DMS) is an increasingly
recognized cause of mitral stenosis. Echocardiographic evaluation of DMS
severity is limited. The goal of this study was to compare
echocardiographic differences between DMS and rheumatic mitral stenosis
(RMS), identify echocardiographic variables reflective of DMS severity,
and propose a dimensionless mitral stenosis index (DMSI) for assessment
of DMS severity. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective cohort
study. We included patients with at least mild MS and a mean transmitral
pressure gradient (TMPG) ≥ 4 mmHg. Mitral valve area by the continuity
equation (MVACEQ) was used as an independent reference. The DMSI was
calculated as follows: DMSI = VTILVOT / VTIMV. Results: A total of 64
patients with DMS and 24 patients with RMS were identified. MVACEQ was
larger in patients with DMS (1.43 0.4 cm2) than RMS (0.9 0.3 cm2) by
~0.5 cm2 (p = <0.001) and mean TMPG was lower
in the DMS group (6.0 2 vs. 7.93 mmHg, p=0.003) despite similar left
ventricular stroke volume, left atrial volume index and pulmonary
arterial systolic pressure. A DMSI of 0.50 and ≤ 0.351 were associated
with MVACEQ ≤ 1.5 and MVACEQ ≤ 1.0 cm2 (p<0.001),
respectively. With the progression of DMS from severe to very severe,
there was a significant drop in DMSI. Conclusion: Our results show that
TMPG correlates poorly with MVA in patients with DMS. Proposed DMSI may
serve as a simple echocardiographic indicator of hemodynamically
significant DMS. More extensive studies are needed to validate these
findings.