ABSTRACT
Obstruction of the native valve is a condition that is rarely encountered in clinical practice. It can be the consequence of the growth of cardiac and noncardiac tumors, thrombi, compression of cardiac chambers by extracardiac masses, accessory mitral valve tissue, prolonged left ventricular device support, and miscellaneous other causes. These patients can have new or long-standing murmurs and signs and symptoms of obstruction at different intracardiac levels. Acute obstruction of left-sided valves is most commonly associated with pulmonary edema and/or syncope or right ventricular failure. The role of emergency echocardiography is to distinguish between obstruction of the native valve and other conditions with similar clinical presentation, as well as to suggest possible causes of obstruction. Quantitation of obstruction by continuouswave Doppler is identical to quantitation of pressure gradients in stenotic valves.
