Color Doppler study of mitral regurgitation during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Abstract Mitral regurgitation (MR) was evaluated by color Doppler echocardiography during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 28 patients with one-vessel coronary artery disease (left anterior descending artery in 11, right coronary artery in 8, and circumflex artery in 9) and normal left ventricular function. In all three groups, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and wall motion score index (WMSI) decreased significantly during artery occulusion in comparison with baseline values (no differences among various groups). Anterior and inferior akinesia/dyskinesia was observed in all patients during left anterior descending and right coronary artery occulusion, respectively. Lateral akinesia/dyskinesia was induced by occlusion of the circumflex artery in six patients (all with proximal lesions [ p 2+ in two). LVEF and WMSI were similar during artery occlusion in patients with and without MR. Neither mitral leaflet prolapse nor anulus dilation occurred during PTCA in any of the patients. Our data show that during brief occlusion of the proximal circumflex artery, functional MR (usually mild) frequently occurs in relation to specific lateral akinesia/dyskinesia.