Valve excrescences: prevalence, evolution and risk for cardioembolism.

Objectives: We sought to determine prospectively the prevalence, evolution and embolic risk of valve excrescences in normal subjects and patients with and without suspected cardioembolism.

Background: Valve excrescences detected by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) have been considered a cardioembolic substrate in selected patients.

Methods: Ninety healthy volunteers (Group I) and 88 patients without suspected cardioembolism and a normal TEE (Group II) were studied and followed up clinically for 58 +/- 21 and 48 +/- 20 months, respectively. To assess the evolution of valve excrescences, 45 of these subjects underwent repeat TEE at 31 +/- 13 months. The findings in Groups I and II were compared with those of Group III--49 patients referred for TEE for suspected cardioembolism.

Results: Valve excrescences were detected in 34 subjects (38%) in Group I and in 41 patients (47%) in Group II. In Group III, 20 patients (41%) had excrescences, but 85% of them had other potential cardiac or vascular sources of embolism. In all groups, mitral valve excrescences were predominant (68% to 76%), followed by aortic (38% to 50%) and right-sided valves (<10%). Excrescences were equally frequent in men and women and between all age groups studied. During follow-up in Groups I and II, excrescences persisted unchanged, and 1 (1.4%) of 74 patients with and 2 (2%) of 99 subjects without excrescences had cerebral ischemic events (80% power to detect a clinically meaningful difference of 4%).

Conclusions: Valve excrescences are common on the left-sided heart valves of normal subjects and patients regardless of gender and age; they persist unchanged over time and do not appear to be a primary source of cardioembolism.