Mitral valve A wave and mitral stenosis

✍ Scribed by Ali Dabestani; David J. Skorton; John S. Child; Janine Krivokapich

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 797 KB
• Volume: 9
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0091-2751
• DOI: 10.1002/jcu.1870090209

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

We examined M‐mode echocardiograms on 35 patients with catheterization‐proven mitral stenosis and normal sinus rhythm to determine whether the presence or absence of an A wave on the mitral echogram predicted mild versus severe mitral stenosis. Mitral valve area (MVA) was determined by the Gorlin formula. Presence of a mitral A wave was defined as 2 mm or greater anterior motion (after a well‐defined F point) of the anterior mitral leaflet. In six of 35 patients, the presence of an A wave was equivocal. Of the remaining 29 patients, 16 had no A wave and mean MVA = 1.18 cm^2^ ± 0.45 (SD), and 13 patients had a definite A wave and mean MVA = 2.04 cm^2^ ± 0.71. There was a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the mean MVA for patients with and without definite A waves. No patients with a definite A wave had an MVA less than 1.2 cm^2^. An A wave on the mitral echogram (in sinus rhythm) excludes severe mitral stenosis; when an A wave is not seen, no definite statement concerning severity of mitral stenosis can be made.