Study of Echocardiogram Accuracy in Patients With Mitral Valve Calcification

Overview

This study aims to evaluate the accuracy of the echocardiographic data obtained from patients with calcifications in the mitral valve who are undergoing a cardiac (heart) catheterization. Echocardiography is a non-invasive (does not break the skin) procedure used to see an image of the heart. It uses harmless sound waves to create an image of the heart on a computer screen. These images will show the valves of the heart, how well the heart is pumping blood, the blood flow across these valves and how large the heart is. A silver paddle-shaped device is moved easily over the skin to capture these images. Calcification (hardening) of the heart valves and heart rings (fibrous tissue surrounding the valves) is a common finding and it increases with age. The presence of calcification changes the blood flow through the heart valves. This makes any echocardiographic data (information) obtained from patients with calcifications difficult to interpret.

Patients with significant mitral annular calcification (MAC) have largely been excluded from studies validating non invasive (echocardiographic) measurements of left ventricular filling and diastolic function. The investigators hypothesize that echocardiographic estimates of diastolic function, left atrial pressure (LAP) and left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) are likely to be fallacious in patients with moderate to severe mitral annular calcification due to the structural alterations and technical difficulties involved.

Conditions

Eligibility