Correlation of Pulmonary Arteriolar Resistance with Pulmonary Vascular Changes in Patients with Mitral Stenosis before and after Valvulotomy

Abstract

IT has been suggested^{1 , 2} that severe pulmonary changes, supposedly irreversible, in patients with mitral stenosis would preclude beneficial results from valvulotomy. Recent publications from this laboratory and elsewhere^{3 , 4} indicate a more optimistic outlook. The present study is an attempt to throw light on this problem by comparing preoperative and postoperative cardiac-catheterization data with histologic changes in lung biopsies obtained at operation.MethodFifty patients with mitral stenosis (16 males and 34 females) are included in this study. All were incapacitated by dyspnea on slight exertion or were in jeopardy from bouts of pulmonary edema, hemoptyses or recurrent peripheral emboli. All . . .