Boxt Lawrence M
Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Int J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2005 Feb;21(1):105-13. doi: 10.1007/s10554-004-5339-5.
Although the incidence of valvular heart disease is significantly less than before the introduction of antibiotic therapy, chronic mitral and aortic valve disease continues to be found in the adult population. CT examination reveals characteristic chamber volume and myocardial mass changes expected in patients with valvular obstruction and regurgitation. Furthermore, CT provides sensitive visualization of annular and valve leaflet calcification, both of which are important findings for determining the presence of disease and estimating the significance of valvular dysfunction identified on examination. Although CT is by no means the first diagnostic modality to be employed in management of patients with valvular heart disease, it does reveal the sequelae of such disease, and may, in fact, provide insight into the significance of clinical or echocardiographic findings. Improved temporal resolution will increase the accuracy of CT diagnosis, and further expand its use for diagnosing and managing patients with cardiac disease in general, and valvular heart disease, in particular.
尽管瓣膜性心脏病的发病率比抗生素治疗引入之前显著降低，但在成年人群中仍可发现慢性二尖瓣和主动脉瓣疾病。CT检查可显示瓣膜狭窄和反流患者预期出现的特征性心腔容积和心肌质量变化。此外，CT能敏感地显示瓣环和瓣膜小叶钙化，这两者都是确定疾病存在以及评估检查中发现的瓣膜功能障碍严重程度的重要表现。虽然CT绝不是瓣膜性心脏病患者管理中首先采用的诊断方式，但它确实能揭示此类疾病的后遗症，实际上还可能有助于深入了解临床或超声心动图检查结果的意义。提高时间分辨率将提高CT诊断的准确性，并进一步扩大其在一般心脏病患者，尤其是瓣膜性心脏病患者的诊断和管理中的应用。
