Foreword

Rheumatic fever has historically been the most common cause of mitral stenosis. However, its prevalence has declined significantly in the developed world with the wide spread use of antibiotics. In addition, mitral stenosis was the first valvular pathology treated with surgical techniques. Rheumatic mitral stenosis, because of its historical abundance, has been studied extensively. In fact, majority of evidence regarding imaging and management of mitral stenosis has derived from studies on patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis.
Source: Current Problems in Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research