Echocardiographic evaluation of mitral regurgitation after myocardial infarction

Pulsed Doppler and echocardiographic analysis of the incidence of mitral regurgitation (MR) was performed. Moreover, an attempt at finding out factors conducive to the development of MR in patients after myocardial infarction (MI) was undertaken. The study included 70 patients (53 males and 17 females) aged 29-70 years, mean age: 56 years, with (first in their life) Q-wave infarction. Twenty-eight of these patients (40%) had anterior wall MI, 34 (49%) had inferior wall MI and 8 (11%) had apical MI. Pulsed Doppler echocardiographic analysis was performed 3 months after MI. In 47 patients (67%), papillary muscle dysfunction with abnormal mitral valve leaflet closure was observed. MR was found in 37 (79%) of these patients. MR diagnosed by Doppler echocardiography was found to be a frequent complication of MI (53% of patients). In echocardiographic assessment, patients with Doppler MR had a significant enlargement of mitral anulus, LV dilatation and higher percentage of asynergic basal segments of the left ventricle as compared with patients without MR. These changes were more frequently observed in patients with inferior or apical infarctions and ejection fraction < 40%.