Discrimination between fibroelastic deficiency and Barlow disease using parameters of mitral annulus derived from real-time three-dimensional echocardiography.

Background: Discrimination between fibroelastic deficiency (FED) and Barlow disease (BD) is crucial for decision making in mitral valve surgery as BD is a more complex lesion demanding high surgical skill and experience. In our study we focused on the differentiation of FED from BD using three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic parameters of the mitral annulus assessed by the mitral valve quantification (MVQ) program.

Methods: We examined 90 patients (30 women) with FED and BD aged 37-76 years.

RT 3D TEE: Characteristics of Mitral Valve in Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation Evaluated by MVQ Program.

Aim: To assess the changes of mitral valve (MV) in ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) using Mitral Valve Quantification (MVQ) program.

Methods: We examined 46 patients (18 women) with IMR aged 45-86 and a control group of 33 healthy individuals (14 women) aged 18-88. Following parameters were assessed: Area of minimal surface spanning annulus (A3), annulus height (h), tenting height (Th), exposed area of anterior (AL), posterior (PL) and both leaflets (BL), ejection fraction of the left ventricle (LV EF), regurgitation volume (RV) and BL/A3, AL/A3, PL/A3 ratios.

RT-3D TEE: characteristics of mitral annulus using mitral valve quantification (MVQ) program.

Aim: To evaluate the mitral annulus characteristics in significant mitral regurgitant lesions using mitral valve quantification (MVQ) program.

Methods: We examined 117 patients (39 women), aged 18-86. Patients were separated into four subgroups: 35 patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation, 42 patients with isolated prolapse of the mitral valve, 12 patients with Barlow disease, and 28 healthy controls.

What is a "normal" right ventricle?

Aims: The aim of this project was to define normal values of right ventricular (RV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) in healthy population using 2D echocardiography.

Methods And Results: The "patient" group comprised 91 healthy volunteers aged 17-62 years. RV volumetry was based on ellipsoidal shell model method.

Echocardiographic volumetry of the right ventricle.

Aims: The aim of our study was to define the optimal geometric model for two-dimensional volumetry of the right ventricle and its clinical validation.

Methods And Results: It has been shown in previous reports that an ellipsoidal shell model best reflects the complex right ventricular geometry. We investigated 82 patients without tricuspid regurgitation and intracardiac shunt.