Transesophageal Echocardiographic Evaluation of Pulmonary Venous Flow before, after and One-year after Percutaneous Mitral Valvulopasty in Patients with Mitral Stenosis in Sinus Rhythm

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the influence of changes in mitral valve area (MVA) and left atrial pressure on pulmonary vein flow (PVF) we analyzed PVF with transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) before, after and one-year after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty (PMV) in patients with mitral stenosis (MS) in sinus rhythm. METHODS: PMV was guided with TEE. Follow-up TEE was done about one year after PMV. MVA and transmitral mean gradient (TMG) were measured. Systolic velocity (S), diastolic velocity (D), atrial reversal velocity (AR), their time-velocity integral (S-TVI, D-TVI, AR-TVI) and their ratio (S/D ratio, S-TVI/D-TVI ratio were evaluated. RESULTS: The number of patients was twenty-two (F20). The age was 39+/-9 years (range26-64). Follow-up duration was 16+/-6 months (range7-28). MVA increased from 0.9+/-0.2 cm2 to 1.9+/-0.3 cm2 after PMV and decreased to 1.7+/-0.3 cm2 on follow-up TEE significantly. TMG decreased from 15.4+/-4.3 mmHg to 5.5+/-1.9 mmHg after PMV and was 6.2+/-2.4 mmHg on follow-up. S increased significantly on follow-up at both pulmonary vein (PV). D increased on follow-up at left PV. S/D ratio increased on follow-up at both PV. AR increased on follow-up at both PV. S-TVI increased after PMV at left PV and increased on follow-up at both PV. D-TVI had no change. S-TVI/D-TVI ratio increased on follow-up at left PV. AR-TVI increased on follow-up at right PV. CONCLUSIONS: The main changes after PMV in patients with MS in sinus rhythm were increasing tendency in S, S-TVI, S/D ratio, S-TVI/D-TVI ratio and AR. And these changes were statistically significant on follow-up TEE rather than immediately after PMV.