Investigations

A summary of investigative findings is presented below. More details about findings in mitral stenosis is available from the menu entries.

• CXR:
  • left atrial enlargement
  • pulmonary congestion with increased pulmonary vascular shadows and Kerly B lines
    
    
• ECG:
  • p-mitrale
  • atrial fibrillation in 60-70% of patients
    
    
• echocardiography allows diagnosis and assessment of severity
  
  
• cardiac catheterization:
  • quantifies the gradient across the mitral valve
  • permits measurement of cardiac output and right heart pressures
  • severe stenosis is indicated by a gradient of more than 10 mmHg across the stenotic valve