title: Assessment of left-to-right atrial shunting after percutaneous mitral valvuloplasty by transesophageal color Doppler flow-mapping.
abstract: To evaluate left-to-right shunts after percutaneous balloon mitral valvuloplasty, we studied 15 consecutive patients by using transesophageal color Doppler flow-imaging system. Transesophageal color Doppler examinations were performed five times in each patient (before valvuloplasty and 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months after valvuloplasty). No shunt flow was observed before valvuloplasty. On 1 day after mitral valvuloplasty, transesophageal color Doppler echocardiography demonstrated left-to-right shunts in 13 (87%) of 15 patients. However, a significant oxygen step-up was present in the right heart in only one patient. The mean diameter of the interatrial septal defect detected by transesophageal two-dimensional echocardiography was 1.8 +/- 1.0 mm. The mean velocity of left-to-right shunting flow measured by high-pulse repetition frequency Doppler technique was 0.83 +/- 0.38 m/sec. One week after the procedure, left-to-right shunt flow was detected in 11 (73%) patients. One month after valvuloplasty, left-to-right shunting flow was detected in seven (47%) of 15 patients. There was a significant decrease in the diameter of an interatrial septal defect between 1 day and 1 week (p less than 0.01), between 1 week and 1 month (p less than 0.01), and between 1 month and 6 months (p less than 0.05). Six months after valvuloplasty, left-to-right shunting flow remained in three (20%) patients. By using transthoracic color Doppler echocardiography, we detected left-to-right shunting flow in two patients on 1 day after the procedure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kobe General Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shakudo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hozumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D002404:Catheterization; D003326:Coronary Circulation / Q000502:physiology; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010092:Oximetry; D013997:Time Factors