[Effect of the respiratory phases on the right jugular vein pulsation curve and pulmonary hemodynamics in mitral valve stenosis].

In patients with mitral stenosis the main and early changes in the pulsation curve of the right jugular vein consist in an elevation of the y-collapse. The height of the y-collapse correlates with the degree of venous congestion in the lungs, i.e. a parallelism exists between the signs of venous congestion in the pulmonary and general circulation systems. The degree of venous congestion in the lungs of patients with mitral stenosis varies with the phases of respiration. An elevation of the v-collapse in mitral stenosis cases is observed at early stages of the disease, simultaneously with the disorders in venous circulation in the upper lobes. The mechanism of circulatory disorders in the veins of the general circulation system may be due to not only pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular insufficiency, but also to the changes in the intrathoracic pressure secondary to the changes in pulmonary parenchyma.