title: [Usefulness of transthoracic freehand three-dimensional echocardiography for the evaluation of mitral valve prolapse].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography is routinely used in evaluating patients with mitral valve prolapse but requires a systematic examination for accurate assessment of the involved lesion of mitral valve prolapse, because the sonographer is required to mentally reconstruct two-dimensional images into three dimensions. Recently, freehand three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography has been introduced in the clinical setting for three-dimensional visualization of the mitral valve apparatus.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the accuracy of the freehand 3D echocardiography system in assessing the involved lesion in patients with mitral valve prolapse.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study consisted of 25 consecutive patients (15 men, 10 women, mean age 55 +/- 17 years) with mitral valve prolapse who were scheduled for 3D echocardiography. Mitral valve was reconstructed in the view from the left atrium (surgeon's view) by 3D echocardiography. The location of the involved lesion in mitral valve was classified as the medial, middle and lateral portions of the anterior leaflet, and the medial, middle and lateral scallops of the posterior leaflet, respectively. The results by 3D echocardiography were compared with those of 2D echocardiography as the clinical standard.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An adequate three-dimensional display of the entire mitral valve for analysis of the involved lesion could be reconstructed in all 25 patients (feasibility 100%). The sensitivity of 3D echocardiography for detecting the lesions at the medial, middle and lateral portions of the anterior leaflet was 80%, 100% and 75%, and the medial, middle and lateral scallops of the posterior leaflet was 100%, 100% and 0%, respectively. The specificities were 100% at all locations in the mitral valve.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that freehand 3D echocardiography is useful for assessment of the involved lesion of the mitral valve in patients with mitral valve prolapse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Hemodynamics, Osaka City University Medical School Hospital, Osaka.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abo
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hozumi
authors.forename: Shota
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Kazuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujioka
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takemoto
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muro
authors.forename: Kazuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008945:Mitral Valve Prolapse / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*