 |
| Fig. 8 |
In the elderly patient, calcium is sometimes present in the mitral
valve annulus (Fig.
8) and it produces a dense band of echoes behind the posterior
valve leaflet adjacent to the annulus. However, the leaflets themselves
remain thin, and there is no commissural fusion, so they separate
normally in diastole. Since the calcium absorbs, or reflects,
much of the ultrasound energy an area of shadowing may be seen
posterior to the calcific ring.
Mitral valve annular calcification can also be detected on M-mode.
Due to lack of spatial information, however, the M-mode recordings
are difficult to interpret except by experienced observers.
2004
