Immediate and short-term effect of balloon mitral valvuloplasty on global and regional biventricular function: a two-dimensional strain echocardiographic study

To assess the effect of balloon mitral valvuloplasty (BMV) on global and regional ventricular functions using 2D strain.

Thirty-two patients with mitral stenosis (MS) and 30 healthy subjects underwent full echocardiographic examinations, including left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV) regional and global longitudinal strain (GLS) measurements. In MS patients, measurements were repeated within 24 h and 3 months after BMV. Patients with MS had lower LV and RV GLS compared with control group (−16.5 ± 2.7% vs. −21.0 ± 1.5) and (−18.3 ± 4.7 vs. −19.8 ± 1.3), respectively. Significant decrease was noted in the basal and septal segments compared with the apical LV segments and RV free wall. BMV resulted in significant improvement in LV and RV GLS within 24 h post-BMV compared with baseline values (P = 0.0001 and 0.0002, respectively), an improvement which was maintained after 3 months. There was significant positive correlation between both LV and RV GLS at baseline and mitral valve mean pressure gradient and RV systolic pressure and significant inverse correlation between LV GLS and MVA.

MS patients have subclinical LV and RV systolic dysfunction by GLS despite normal ejection fraction and fractional area change. BMV results in marked improvement in LV and RV GLS immediately post-BMV with trend towards normalization at follow-up after 3 months. A mixed aetiology theory involving a myocardial as well as a haemodynamic factor is believed to be the cause for this subclinical biventricular dysfunction and its improvement at short-term follow-up post-BMV.