Native mitral valve disease is the second valvular heart disease after aortic valve disease. For the last few decades, two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography was the cornerstone technique for evaluating patients with mitral valve disease. Besides aetiological information, echocardiography allows the description of valve anatomy, the assessment of disease severity, and the description of the associated lesions.This chapter will address the echocardiographic evaluation of mitral regurgitation (MR) and mitral stenosis (MS).In MR, the following findings should be assessed: 1. Aetiology. 2. Type and extent of anatomical lesions and mechanisms of regurgitation. 3. The possibility of mitral valve repair. 4. Quantification of MR severity. 5. Quantification of MR repercussions.In MS, the following findings should be assessed: 1. Aetiology. 2. Type and extent of anatomical lesions. 3. Quantification of MS severity. 4. Quantification of MS repercussions. 5. Wilkins or Cormier scores for the possibility of percutaneous mitral commissuroplasty.Management of patients with mitral valve disease is currently based on symptoms and on echocardiographic evaluation at rest. Therefore, knowing how to assess the severity of valve diseases as well as the pitfalls and the limitations of each echocardiographic method is of primary importance.
Echocardiographic evaluation of deformity and enlargement of the canine mitral valve annulus associated with myxomatous degenerative mitral valve disease
