Subjects
This cross-sectional study was performed on 46 patients with isolated MS
and 23 healthy controls (matched by sex and age) at the Echocardiography
Center of Qaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Patients who had a history of
more-than-moderate mitral insufficiency, LV failure, Ejection Fraction
(EF) of <50%, valvular surgery, stenosis or insufficiency in
other cardiac valves, were not included in the study. Additionally,
patients with a history of atrial fibrillation (AF), underlying
respiratory disease, coronary artery disease (CAD), or smoking were
excluded before the start of the study. According to the latest
guideline (at the time of the study) for the management of patients with
valvular heart disease, patients were categorized into two groups of 23
severe (mitral valve area (MVA) between 1-1.5 cm) and 23 very severe MS
subjects (MVA ≤1.0 cm) 2.