Echocardiography is of great usefulness to the clinician in evaluation of patients with mitral valve disease. This noninvasive examination, done with proper skills, can provide a definite diagnosis of rheumatic mitral valve disease. From further analysis of the mitral valve echogram, the mobility and degree of calcification of the valve may be judged and the size of the left ventricular outflow tract evaluated for the preoperative planning of surgical intervention.
