NEW BOOK
FOREWORD
The work consists of three
volumes, and it is dedicated to my teacher Jean Lenėgre. The first volume,
entitled “Acquired Diseases of Left Heart Valves”, deals with non-invasive
diagnostics of acquired valve diseases, mostly those of mytral and aortal heart
openings. Anatomic ailments and/or disruptions of valve functions are, in most
cases, consequences of rheumatic disease (Febris rheumatica). However, rheumatic
fever undergoes an obvious decline, both in the territory of Vojvodina and
Serbia as a whole. The number of cases of diseases of heart valves (left, right,
or both), does not confirm with that decline, but is in obvious increase. A
number of heart diseases, as well as of the diseases of blood vessels, caused by
the way of life, improper nutrition, and other harmful factors (infection,
genetic malfunctions) can do harm or even destroy the cells of myocardium or
blood vessels, with the consequences such as widening (dilatation) and
hypertrophy of myocardium.
Apart from that, this book also aims at issuing a warning that a clear
distinction should be made among causes, effects and consequences of anatomic
disruptions of valves and/or their malfunctions caused by re-modeling of
myocardium.
We live in an age when there exist accurate data about the increase in
cardiovascular diseases. It can indeed be said that the 20th century, especially
its last third, is an epoch of an obvious increase in heart and heart valves
diseases, especially in ischemical and hypertensic heart diseases.
However, Corvisart (1806) focuses our attention to mytral insufficiency caused
by rupture of tendon chords (chordae tendinae), but also by unknown etiology.
Selzer A. (1967) and Acar J. (1968) point out to the increase in degenerative
heart diseases that lead to mytral regurgitation.
In the mid-20th century, Bridgen W. (1957) warns about
“neocoronary-non-ischemical disease of heart muscle”, but with “unknown
etiology”.
There ensued various explorations, that show myocardium diseases as being
fundamental for disruptions of heart functions and for heart malfunctions, and
as being of various etiology.
Richardson P. et al. (1996) define cardiopathies as myocardium diseases with
malfunctions of heart activity.
In registering polycardiography as well as, later, of echocardiography and in
application of Doppler technique and, in certain cases, of magnetic resonance,
we were particularly intrigued by the increase in number of heart malfunctions.
In more than 100.000 registered cases, we have noticed a considerable increase
in functional insufficiency of mytral, aortal and tricuspid cavity. The results
are shown in this book, in Figures 17-1 and 17-3.
Special participation in the book is provided by renowned French cardiologists
with the papers that attracted worldwide attention of colleagues in the same
field. They are Dr Guy Fontaine with the paper La diasplaisie ventriculaire
droite arytmogene and Dr Gerard Drobinski with the paper Mesur de la reserve de
debit coronaire dans les valvulopathies aortiques.
Success in healing, as well as in prevention of complications of
cardiomyopathies depends on timely discovery and treatment.
The task of this book is to point out to the crucial signs of diseases of
myocardium – cardiomyopathies.
Zivojin Stamenkovic
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