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The prevalence of valvular heart disease is increasing as the population ages. In diagnosing individuals with valve disease, echocardiography is the primary imaging modality used by clinicians both for initial assessment and for longitudinal evaluation. However, in some cases cardiovascular magnetic resonance has become a viable alternative in that it can obtain imaging data in any plane prescribed by the scan operator, which makes it ideal for accurate investigation of all cardiac valves: aortic, mitral, pulmonic, and tricuspid. In addition, CMR for valve assessment is noninvasive, free of ionizing radiation, and in most instances does not require contrast administration. The objectives of a comprehensive CMR study for evaluating valvular heart disease are threefold: (1) to provide insight into the mechanism of the valvular lesion (via anatomic assessment), (2) to quantify the severity of the valvular lesion, and (3) to discern the consequences of the valvular lesion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Auscultation of patients with mitral annular calcification on echocardiography revealed a particular constellation of findings.Objective: To test the hypothesis that a particular auscultatory constellation provides a high degree of certainty in diagnosing the combination of mitral annular calcification and aortic sclerosis so often found in the elderly.Methods: Two groups of patients were studied to evaluate the particular auscultatory constellation under consideration which consisted of: (1) a harsh ejection systolic murmur heard from the 2nd right interspace to the cardiac apex and usually loudest between the 3rd left interspace and the apex; (2) the murmur radiates from the apex towards the left axilla and radiates poorly or not at all from the 2nd right interspace to the neck, and (3) the 2nd heart sound at the cardiac base is normal in intensity, and no ejection clicks are present. Group 1 consisted of patients with mitral annular calcification on echocardiographic examination, and group 2 consisted of patients in whom the particular constellation of auscultatory findings was present and who were then referred for echocardiographic assessment.Results: The particular auscultatory constellation under investigation allowed the diagnosis of the presence of the combination of mitral annular calcification and aortic sclerosis with substantial accuracy.Conclusion: The findings in this exploratory study suggest that the pathologic combination of mitral annular calcification and aortic sclerosis can be diagnosed with a reasonably high degree of certainty in elderly patients, if the particular auscultatory configuration is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]