Loading...
Degenerative valve disease, such as prolapse or flail leaflet, is a common cause of mitral regurgitation (MR). In a study from Belgium, 61 patients with moderate-to-severe MR underwent bicycle exercise echocardiography and were assessed for changes in MR and pulmonary artery pressures. All patients met criteria for conservative management (i.e., asymptomatic, in sinus rhythm, normal ejection fraction, and end systolic diameter <45 mm).
During exercise, MR severity increased markedly in 32% of patients; increases in systolic pulmonary artery pressures were correlated with intensified regurgitation severity and larger regurgitant volume. At 22-month follow-up, patients with marked increases in regurgitant volume with exercise had shorter sympt…