Rheumatic involvement of all four cardiac valves.
Rheumatic involvement of all four heart valves is rare. A 35 year old woman presented with gradually progressive exertional dyspnoea for the preceding 10 years. On evaluation she was in atrial fibrillation with congestive heart failure. Clinical examination found evidence of stenosis of the mitral aortic and tricuspid valves with a history of rheumatic fever in childhood. Transthoracic echocardiography showed the involvement of all four cardiac valves. Few reports are available in the literature describing rheumatic quadrivalvar damage. Operator awareness of possible rheumatic involvement of all four valves is essential for appropriate diagnosis.
Jai Shankar
K
K
International Centre for Cardiothoracic and Vascular Diseases (a unit of Frontier LifeLine), Mogappair, Chennai, India. drkjs68@yahoo.com
Jaiswal
P K
PK
Cherian
K M
KM
D000328:Adult; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D012214:Rheumatic Heart Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*