Presystolic pulmonary valve opening in constrictive pericarditis.

Right heart pressure tracings were studied in 5 cases with constrictive pericarditis. The pressure of the A-wave in the right atrium of these cases was higher than the pulmonary arterial diastolic pressure. In addition, a presystolic wave appeared in the pulmonary arterial and the right ventricular pressure tracings, in coincidence with atrial systole. The pressure of this presystolic wave was similar to that of the right atrial A-wave. This suggests that the pulmonary valve opens following atrial systole, and then the blood flows into the pulmonary artery in the presystolic phase in patients with constrictive pericarditis. In 2 cases, pulmonary valve echograms were recorded. The a-dip in these 2 cases was as deep as 8.4 mm and 9.6 mm (1.8-4.1 mm with a mean of 2.80 mm for normal men), and its duration was prolonged to 0.17 sec and 0.18 sec (0.10-0.13 sec with a mean of 0.115 sec for normal men). In conclusion, such a deep and prolonged a-dip on pulmonary valve echogram is presumably a sign of presystolic pulmonary valve opening.