MDCT Detection of Mitral Valve Calcification: Prevalence and Clinical Relevance Compared with Echocardiography
- 1 May 2007
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Roentgen Ray Society in American Journal of Roentgenology
- Vol. 188 (5), 1264-1269
- https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.06.1002
Abstract
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence and clinical significance of mitral valve calcification incidentally detected on chest CT scans in comparison with echocardiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS. The data of 390 patients (227 men and 163 women; mean age, 62.4 ± 12.2 years) who underwent MDCT of the chest and echocardiography were retrospectively evaluated. On MDCT, mitral valve leaflet and annulus calcification were visually graded on a scale of 0-3, with grade 0 denoting no calcification and grade 3 indicating severe calcification. CT findings were correlated with hemodynamic data obtained at echocardiography. Unpaired Student's t tests, chi-square analysis, and a weighted-kappa test were used to compare results. RESULTS. In 32 (8.2%) of 390 patients, chest MDCT revealed mitral valve leaflet calcification. Fifteen of these patients (15/390, 3.8%) presented with mitral valve stenosis. Excellent agreement (κ = 0.882) was seen between the presence of mitral valve calcification on MDCT and echocardiographically proven mitral valve sclerosis. Mitral valve leaflet calcification on MDCT and the severity of mitral valve disease on echocardiography showed a substantial agreement (κ = 0.730). A significant relationship was seen between the degree of mitral valve calcification on MDCT and the echocardiographically determined severity of mitral valve disease (no sclerosis vs mitral sclerosis vs mitral stenosis; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION. Mitral valve leaflet calcification on MDCT indicates mitral valve sclerosis or stenosis. Thus, patients presenting with incidentally detected mitral valve leaflet calcification on chest CT may benefit from a functional assessment with echocardiography.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Aortic Valve Calcification as an Incidental Finding at CT of the Elderly: Severity and Location as Predictors of Aortic StenosisAmerican Journal of Roentgenology, 2006
- Aortic Valve Calcification as a Marker for Aortic Stenosis Severity: Assessment on 16-MDCTAmerican Journal of Roentgenology, 2004
- Three dimensional volume quantification of aortic valve calcification using multislice computed tomographyHeart, 2003
- Endotracheal neurofibroma in neurofibromatosis type 1: an unusual manifestationEuropean Radiology, 2001
- Cardiac valve calcification: characteristics of patients with calcification of the mitral annulus or aortic valveHeart, 1997
- Calcification of aortic valve detected incidentally on CT scans: prevalence and clinical significance.American Journal of Roentgenology, 1995
- Mitral Annular Calcification and the Risk of Stroke in an Elderly CohortThe New England Journal of Medicine, 1992
- Computertomographische Befunde bei MitralvitienRöFo - Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der Röntgenstrahlen und der bildgebenden Verfahren, 1984
- Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of patients with mitral anular calcification: Comparison with age- and sex-matched control subjectsThe American Journal of Cardiology, 1983
- Mitral Annular CalcificationArchives of Internal Medicine, 1977