Arq Bras Cardiol: Imagem cardiovasc 2023; 36(1): e360
Importance of Echocardiography in the Differential Diagnosis of Rheumatic Mitral Regurgitation in Children and Adolescents
Introduction
Mitral regurgitation (MR) can be a result of abnormalities in different locations of the valve apparatus (cusps, annulus, tendinous cords and papillary muscles), being of acquired or congenital etiology. MR can be classified as primary, when resulting from a deformity in the valve structure, or secondary, when related to another heart or systemic disease. In our field, the main cause of MR in students and adolescents is the acquired one. Rheumatic fever (RF) is among the causes, as well as bacterial endocarditis, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis., However, congenital anomalies, such as mitral valve (MV) prolapse, mitral cleft (MC), parachute MV and, rarely, isolated cleft MV (ICMV) should be ruled out., The etiological diagnosis of MR is very important to determine the proper treatment, once it can be clinical or surgical, with definitive correction of the lesion.
We present the report of a student whose clinical and echocardiographic scenario was first diagnosed as acute RF, showing the importance of echocardiography in the posterior differential diagnosis of MR.
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