title: An echocardiographic study of net atrioventricular compliance in juvenile and adult mitral stenosis.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Medical College, Kottayam. ktm_sudhay@sancharnet.in
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sudhayakumar
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajesh
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Anilkumar
authors.forename: S Abdul
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khader
authors.forename: Cicy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bastian
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Jayaprakash
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jayaprakash
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016279:Atrial Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D006801:Humans; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*