Should mitral valve prolapse be considered as one of the risk factors for open angle glaucoma? A preliminary observation

AIM:To assess the incidence of mitral valve prolapse in patients with newly diagnosed primary open angle glaucoma.METHODS:The study included 12 patients without any other comorbidities or taking any general or local medications.Each patient underwent a full ophthalmological examination with visual field assessment and optical computed tomography of the macula and optic nerve head.Carotid Doppler ultrasound was performed to exclude impaired blood flow in this region and transthoracic echocardiography with assessment of the function and morphology of the heart valves.RESULTS:In the study group,mitral valve prolapse was found in seven patients(58.3%),while mitral valve regurgitation in 11 patients(91.7%).One case of normal pressure glaucoma and four cases of juvenile glaucoma were diagnosed.There were also other risk factors for glaucoma:myopia(58.3%),migraine headaches(41.7%),a positive family history of glaucoma(16.7%).CONCLUSION:Mitral valve prolapse could be indicated as a new risk factor for glaucoma.It seems reasonable to conduct screening tests for glaucoma in patients with mitral valve prolapse in the course of echocardiography.

Left atrial appendage aneurysm: A case report

BACKGROUND An aneurysm of the left atrial appendage is one of the rare but potentially hazardous heart defects.The risk of lethal complications grows with its size.To date,about 150 cases of this defect have been described in the literature.We present a case of left atrial appendage aneurysm with the deformation of the mitral valve and the left main coronary and circumflex artery,which required mitral valve annuloplasty and bifurcation stenting.CASE SUMMARY A 58-year-old man presented to our hospital complaining of shortness of breath,general weakness,dizziness during physical exertion,and fatigue.Based on the results of echocardiography,an aneurysm of the left atrium was suspected.A free-breathing real-time cine magnetic resonance imaging with electrocardiograph synchronization confirmed the diagnosis of left atrial appendage aneurysm.The patient underwent an aneurysmectomy via a median sternotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass.Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography revealed relative mitral insufficiency that was corrected with an annuloplasty ring.Intraoperative coronary angiogram showed impaired blood flow in the left main coronary and circumflex artery and 60%stenosis.For this reason,bifurcation stenting was performed.The patient had an uneventful postoperative clinical course and was discharged from the hospital on the 10th day in a satisfactory condition.CONCLUSION Left atrial appendage aneurysm is a rare and dangerous heart pathology that requires surgery to prevent related complications.

Development in mechanisms of ischemic mitral regurgitation

Objective The clinical diagnosis and treatment of ischemia mitral regurgitation （IMR） remained difficult because of its unclear mechanisms. This paper reviews studies on the mechanisms of IMR during the last 20 years, and discusses the relevance of the various mechanisms. Data sources Data used in this review were mainly from CNKI and Pubmed in English. The search terms were ＂ischemia mitral regurgitation mechanism＂, ＂myocardial infarction＂ AND ＂mitral regurgitation＂. Study selection Articles were selected if they involved mechanisms of IMR. Results IMR is one of the common complications of coronary artery disease. But currently, the clinical diagnosis and treatment of IMR remained difficult because of its unclear mechanisms. Conclusions For now, dominating theory of ischemic mitral regurgitation mechanisms are left ventricular remodeling, imbalance of leaflet tethering and the closing force, left ventricular dysfunction, changes in spatial structure of the annulus and the dyssynchrony of the left ventricular electromechanical activity.