An echocardiographic study of net atrioventricular compliance in juvenile and adult mitral stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Left atrial compliance is an important determinant of symptoms in mitral stenosis. About one-third of patients with mitral stenosis have reduced left ventricular compliance. We measured the net atrioventricular compliance in rheumatic mitral stenosis patients noninvasively and analyzed if there were any clinical, electrocardiographic, roentgenographic or echocardiographic correlates of net atrioventricular compliance. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seventy-six patients with mitral stenosis were analyzed and as many normal subjects were taken as control group. Patients were divided into two groups--those 20 years and below were grouped as juvenile mitral stenosis and those above 20 years as adult mitral stenosis patients. The net atrioventricular compliance in patients with mitral stenosis was significantly impaired compared to normal population. Mean compliance in juvenile group was 4.66+/-2.18 ml/mmHg (range 2.17-9.6) and in adult group it was 4.79+/-1.99 ml/mmHg (range 2.04-8.9) (p = ns). There was no difference in net atrioventricular compliance between the juvenile and adult patients with mitral stenosis. Mitral valve area showed an independent positive correlation with net atrioventricular compliance. CONCLUSIONS: The net atrioventricular compliance was significantly reduced in patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis; however, there was essentially no difference in the net atrioventricular compliance between the juvenile and adult patients with mitral stenosis. The net atrioventricular compliance may not be responsible for the more severe symptoms observed in juvenile mitral stenosis.

Cardiovascular involvement in leptospirosis.

Cardiovascular involvement was studied in 50 patients with serologically proved leptospirosis. Twelve (24%) patients had dyspnoea and 18 (36%) had transient hypotension during the illness. None of them had cardiac enlargement, development of new murmur or pericardial rub. Various electrocardiographic abnormalities occurred in 70 percent of patients. Atrial fibrillation was the most common major arrhythmia (14%). Conduction system abnormalities were seen in 36 percent of patients. T-wave changes were observed in 30 percent of patients. Left ventricular function as assessed by echocardiography and Doppler examination was normal. Three (6%) patients died due to renal failure. In conclusion, even though ECG abnormalities were frequently seen in leptospirosis, there was no data to support associated left ventricular dysfunction. Dyspnoea and hypotension occurring in patients of leptospirosis must be due to a noncardiac mechanism.