[Echocardiography evaluation of left ventricular function in mitral valve stenosis].

It is reported on results of echocardiographic investigations concerning the left ventricular function in 60 patients with mitral stenosis (30 patients in stage II, 30 patients in stage III of the classification after NYHA) and the results are compared with those of 30 normal persons. The echocardiographic parameters 'systolic shortening fraction of the left ventricle' (FS), mean circumferential shortening speed of the fibre (mVCF) and the ejection fraction (EF) are suitable for the assessment of the functional condition of the left ventricle. On the basis of these parameters a determination of the degree of severity of the mitral stenosis is not possible, since there are no significant differences between the degrees of severity. The clear restriction of the left ventricular function in mitral stenoses which is partly described in the literature cannot be confirmed. In the two stages the parameters investigated lie widely within the norm. Significant differences in comparison to normal persons can be realized only in the determination of the early diagnostic filling speed of the left ventricle in the two stages.