Conclusion
The present study shows that
marked left atrial dysfunction is seen in severe rheumatic MS
irrespective of NYHA functional class as suggested by severely reduced
left atrial reservoir, conduit and contractile strain. LA function
deteriorated further non-significantly with increasing severity of MS
(decreasing mitral valve area), increase in left atrial size and
increase in mean and peak transmitral gradient. Hence, our study results
suggests that early and timely intervention in severe MS patients
irrespective of NYHA functional class should be done as it may likely
improve the LA function and avoid clinical deterioration. Further BMV
may retard the development of AF and RV dysfunction. This hypothesis
however requires further study.
Conflicts of Interest : All the authors declare that they have
no conflicts of interest with respect to the present submission.