Echo-phonocardiographic features of regurgitant porcine mitral and tricuspid valves presenting with musical murmurs.

Echophonographic findings of three patients with spontaneous degeneration of porcine tricuspid and mitral valves presenting with musical murmurs are reported. Echocardiography in all these patients revealed systolic or diastolic cusp flutter similar in frequency to the musical murmur on simultaneously recorded phonocardiogram. Porcine tricuspid regurgitation is usually well tolerated and can be followed clinically for many years. However, patients with mitral porcine valves usually become symptomatic or present with congestive heart failure and usually require valve surgery soon after clinical or echo-phonocardiographic findings of valve regurgitation appear.