Midsystolic murmurs
Midsystolic murmurs — also known as systolic ejection murmurs, or SEM —
include the murmurs of aortic stenosis, pulmonic stenosis, hypertrophic
obstructive cardiomyopathy and atrial septal defects. A midsystolic
murmur begins just after the S1 heart sound and terminates just before
the P2 heart sound, so S1 and S2 will be distinctly audible. The term
midsystolic is preferred to SEM, since many lesions that produce
midsystolic murmurs are unrelated to systolic ejection.
Aortic stenosis (AS)
The classic murmur of aortic stenosis is a high-pitched,
crescendo-decrescendo ("diamond shaped"), midsystolic murmur located at
the aortic listening post and radiating toward the neck.
The radiation of the aortic stenosis murmur is often mistaken for a
carotid bruit. The aortic stenosis murmur is also well known to radiate
to the cardiac apex on occasion, making it difficult to distinguish if
mitral regurgitation is also present. This radiation of the aortic
stenosis murmur to the apex is known as "Gallavardin dissociation." It
requires dynamic auscultation or echocardiography to determine if
coexisting mitral regurgitation is the cause of the apical murmur in a
patient with aortic stenosis.
The intensity of the murmur of aortic stenosis is not a good indicator
of the severity of disease. As aortic stenosis worsens, the LV begins to
fail and the ejection fraction declines to the point where sufficient
force to create turbulent flow is no longer produced, resulting in a
decrease in the intensity of the murmur.
While the intensity of the murmur may not be an accurate determinant of
the severity of aortic stenosis, the shape of the murmur can be very
helpful. As aortic stenosis worsens, it takes longer for blood to eject
through the valve, so the peak of the crescendo-decrescendo murmur moves
to later in systole. Thus, mild aortic stenosis would have an early
peaking murmur while the murmur of severe aortic stenosis peaks later in
systole.
Remember from the heart sounds section that the delay in aortic valve
closure can cause a paradoxically split S2 heart sound, and as the
aortic valve becomes more heavily calcified, the intensity of the S2
heart sound declines. Also, in patients with bicuspid aortic valves, an
ejection click may be heard just before the murmur begins.
Pulmonic stenosis (PS)
The murmur of pulmonic stenosis is very similar to that of aortic
stenosis. It is a midsystolic, high-pitched, crescendo-decrescendo
murmur heard best at the pulmonic listening post and radiating slightly
toward the neck. However, the murmur of pulmonic stenosis does not
radiate as widely as that of aortic stenosis. The murmur of pulmonic
stenosis peaks early if the disease is mild and peaks later as the
disease progresses. Also, the murmur of pulmonic stenosis demonstrates
increased intensity during inspiration due to the increased venous
return to the right heart, resulting in greater flow across the pulmonic
valve.
While the murmur of aortic stenosis extends up to the A2 heart sound,
the murmur of pulmonic stenosis extends through the A2 sound up to the
P2 heart sound. Severe pulmonic stenosis results in decreased mobility
of the pulmonic valve leaflets, and thus a softer P2 sound. Also, as the
pulmonic stenosis worsens, the closure of the pulmonic valve is
delayed, since more time is required to eject blood through the stenotic
valve, resulting in a widely split S2 heart sound that still exhibits
inspiratory delay. Note that the murmur of an atrial septal defect (see
below) is also midsystolic; however, it has a fixed split S2.
Atrial septal defect (ASD)
The murmur produced by an atrial septal defect is due to increased flow
through the pulmonic valve, thus it is remarkably similar to that of
pulmonic stenosis. The difference lies in the intensity and splitting
pattern of the S2 heart sound. The intensity of S2 should remain
unchanged and may, in fact, be accentuated if pulmonary hypertension
develops. The S2 is fixed-split in a person with an ASD. This differs
from the widened-split S2 that is seen in severe pulmonic stenosis.
Also, the murmur of an ASD does not increase in intensity with
inspiration.
Hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM)
The murmur of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is important to
detect due to its clinical implications (see hypertrophic obstructive
cardiomyopathy review). The murmur is a high-pitched,
crescendo-decrescendo, mid-diastolic murmur heard best at the left lower
sternal border. The murmur of HOCM does not radiate to the carotids
like that of AS. The important auscultatory features of HOCM that
distinguish it from AS relate to dynamic auscultation (see below).
Holosystolic Murmurs
Holotsystolic murmurs are also known as pansystolic and include the
murmurs of mitral regurgitation (MR), tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and
ventricular septal defects (VSD). Since the intensity of these murmurs
is high immediately after the onset of S1 and it extends to just before
the S2, often the S1 and S2 sounds are overwhelmed by the murmur and may
be difficult to hear.
Mitral regurgitation (MR)
The murmur of mitral regurgitation is described as a high-pitched,
"blowing" holosystolic murmur best heard at the apex. The direction of
radiation of the murmur depends on the nature of the mitral valve
disease; however, it usually radiates to the axilla. The intensity of
the murmur of MR does not increase with inspiration, which helps to
distinguish it from the murmur of tricuspid regurgitation.
Tricuspid regurgitation (TR)
The murmur of tricuspid regurgitation is similar to that of mitral
regurgitation. It is a high-pitched, holosystolic murmur. However, it is
best heard at the left lower sternal border and it radiates to the
right lower sternal border. The intensity significantly increases with
inspiration, which helps to distinguish it from mitral regurgitation.
This inspiratory enhancement of the tricuspid regurgitation murmur is
called "Carvallo's sign."
Ventricular septal defect (VSD)
A ventricular septal defect produces yet another holosystolic murmur.
Blood abnormally flows from the LV (high pressure) to the RV (low
pressure), creating turbulent blood flow and a holosystolic murmur heard
best at "Erb's point." The smaller the ventricular septal defect, the
louder the murmur.
Late Systolic Murmurs
The murmur of mitral or tricuspid valve prolapse is the only significant
late systolic murmur. Tricuspid valve prolapse is relatively rare and
usually not clinically significant.
Mitral valve prolapse (MVP)
Mitral valve prolapse produces a mid-systolic click usually followed by a
uniform, high-pitched murmur. The murmur is actually due to mitral
regurgitation that accompanies the mitral valve prolapse, thus it is
heard best at the cardiac apex. Mitral valve prolapse responds to
dynamic auscultation.
Summary of Systolic Murmurs
Komentar
Posting Komentar