title: The evaluation of mitral valve stenosis: comparison of transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Echocardiographic assessment of patients with mitral valve stenosis (MS) requires a detailed evaluation of mitral valve anatomy, mitral valve area (MVA), and pressure gradient and presence concomitant valve diseases. Our aim was to evaluate planimetric MVA and transmitral flow velocities using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in patients with isolated MS and to compare with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to determine the reliability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-one patients (mean age 50.4 ± 10.2, 90.3% women) with isolated MS who were in a normal sinus rhythm were included in the study. Patients with ejection fraction <50%, atrial fibrillation, moderate-to-severe mitral valve insufficiency, moderate-to-severe stenosis and insufficiency of other valves, and previous commissurotomy and valvulotomy were excluded. Planimetric MVA and diastolic velocities were measured with TTE and CMR. There were strong correlations between measurements of planimetric MVA and transmitral diastolic velocities (P < 0.0001). Assessment of Bland-Altman analysis revealed strong agreement on measuring planimetric MVA with values -0.018 cm(2) (SD = 0.98 cm(2)) and the limits of agreement were -0.131 to 0.094.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CMR is a reliable method in patients with MS for diagnosis and follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, T.C. Istanbul Bilim University Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Funda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Helvacioglu
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yildirimturk
authors.forename: Cihan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duran
authors.forename: Selen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yurdakul
authors.forename: Yelda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tayyareci
authors.forename: Onur Levent
authors.initials: OL
authors.lastname: Ulusoy
authors.forename: Saide
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aytekin
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D055424:Cardiac-Gated Imaging Techniques; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008946:Mitral Valve Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Cardiac magnetic resonance; Echocardiography; Mitral valve stenosis