Absence of Echocardiographic Abnormalities of the Anterior Mitral Valve Leaflet in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Thirty-five consecutives patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis underwent echocardiography to evaluate the motion of the anterior mitral valve leaflet. Adequate echocardiograms were obtained in 31 patients. All 31 patients showed normal valve motion and a normal EF slope. If meticulous technique was not observed, a falsely low value for the EF slope was obtained and a normal slope was found when the method was improved. This study shows that echocardiographic abnormalities of the anterior mitral valve leaflet rarely, if ever, occur in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, provided that careful attention to recording method is observed.