Cardiac Chamber Volumes and their Significance in Rheumatic Heart Disease with Isolated Mitral Stenosis

The total capacity of the heart and the volume of each of its chambers were determined by the technic of simultaneous biplane stereoscopic venous angiocardiography in 18 persons with surgically confirmed, isolated severe mitral stenosis. Although cardiac capacity and chamber volumes varied greatly, the left atrium was almost always the largest chamber. The left ventricle was not always the smallest chamber. In fact, it was larger than the right ventricle in 7 of the 18 and was the only chamber to be significantly correlated with total cardiac capacity greater than 1,000 ml. The right ventricular volume was found to be significantly correlated with its systolic pressure, or with the pulmonary artery systolic or mean pressures. Disproportionate enlargement of the right atrium can occur in the absence of tricuspid stenosis. Finally, atrial fibrillation was commonly present in patients with a large total cardiac capacity.