Can mitral valve regurgitation be detected by imaging?

Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
Updated on September 04, 2024
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Mitral stenosis is a type of heart valve disease. It may be congenital heart disease or rheumatic heart disease, depending on individual differences. It is recommended that patients go to the hospital for a cardiac ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis, as X-rays cannot differentiate between mitral regurgitation and mitral stenosis. This condition requires a cardiac ultrasound for diagnosis. If patients experience symptoms like palpitations, chest tightness, or difficulty breathing during this period, these issues need to be actively managed. Generally, positive inotropic agents are used to alleviate the current condition of the patient and achieve relief, while also ensuring regular follow-up visits at the hospital.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Does mitral valve insufficiency affect heart rate?

In order to maintain the vital signs of the human body, the heart must have a fixed cardiac output to ensure the blood supply and nourishment of the body, therefore the cardiac output is definite as per the body's needs. When there is severe mitral valve regurgitation, it causes a decrease in the stroke volume. As a compensation, while the stroke volume decreases, in order to ensure the body's blood supply and nourishment, the heart accelerates its beating to maintain the supply of output. Therefore, patients with mitral valve regurgitation often experience symptoms of tightness in the chest, difficulty breathing, and palpitations after exercising. This means that our heart rate after exercise will be faster than in people without mitral valve regurgitation, thus mitral valve regurgitation affects the heart rate.

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Written by Li Hai Wen
Cardiology
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Is mild mitral valve regurgitation serious?

Mild mitral valve regurgitation, as the name implies, is mild and not severe. From a medical perspective, most cases of mild mitral valve regurgitation are normal physiological phenomena in the human body, which do not cause symptoms, do not affect health, and do not require treatment. Therefore, there is no need to overly worry about this condition in daily life. Of course, maintaining good lifestyle habits is necessary, such as exercising regularly with activities like running and practicing yoga, not smoking, not drinking alcohol, ensuring good sleep, and keeping a pleasant mood. Regarding diet, eat less spicy and greasy food and consume more vegetables and fruits. Good lifestyle habits can effectively prevent the worsening of mitral valve regurgitation.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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Can mitral valve insufficiency be treated with interventional surgery?

If the condition of mitral valve regurgitation is not very severe, interventional surgery can be considered when the condition is under control. However, if the mitral valve regurgitation is accompanied by heart failure, especially chronic heart failure, and if cardiac function is not timely corrected, the patient may not tolerate the surgery, and there are certain risks associated with the operation. Because mitral valve regurgitation can lead to the formation of thrombi, particularly causing cerebral thrombosis or ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, it is important to actively monitor changes in the patient's heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse. If conditions such as tachycardia or elevated blood pressure occur, they need to be actively managed. If the disease is timely controlled, surgical treatment can be considered.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Can mitral valve insufficiency be treated without valve replacement?

Mitral valve regurgitation is classified into mild, moderate, and severe categories. Generally speaking, patients with mild and some moderate regurgitation may not exhibit symptoms. However, a small proportion of patients with moderate or severe regurgitation might experience symptoms such as tightness after activity and difficulty breathing. If these conditions recur, there may be an indication for surgical intervention. Therefore, for patients with moderate to severe symptoms, or those with significant enlargement of the heart, it is recommended to consider surgery at an early stage. If patients with mild or some moderate mitral valve regurgitation are asymptomatic and do not show significant enlargement of the heart structure, medical treatment or observation without valve replacement can be considered.

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Written by Di Zhi Yong
Cardiology
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Is mild to moderate mitral valve regurgitation serious?

If the patient has a history of mitral valve insufficiency, especially in moderate cases, it is considered quite severe. The current treatment mainly focuses on symptomatic treatment to improve the patient's cardiopulmonary function. If the patient experiences palpitations, chest tightness, or difficulty breathing, sometimes intravenous therapy is required to alleviate the current condition. Because for congenital heart disease or rheumatic heart disease, the treatment primarily involves strengthening the heart, diuresis, vasodilation, symptomatic treatment, and management. If not treated and managed promptly, the disease could worsen, and the patient may also develop swelling in both lower limbs.