The Spectrum of Severe Rheumatic Mitral Valve Disease in a Developing Country: Correlations among Clinical Presentation, Surgical Pathologic Findings, and Hemodynamic Sequelae

Abstract

The spectrum of rheumatic mitral valve disease that is hemodynamically severe in developing countries differs from that currently reported in the United States. Severe, pure rheumatic mitral regurgitation is as prevalent as pure stenosis but has an entirely different time course, surgical anatomy, and relation to disease activity, suggesting a separate pathophysiologic mechanism.