Resonant cardiac chamber with diastolic thrill

Abstract

A 70-year-old man with a diastolic Levine V/VI musical murmur came to our department. Doppler color-flow imaging showed eccentric severe aortic regurgitation. M-mode echocardiography demonstrated fluttering of the anterior mitral leaflet and fine tremors at the aortic root. The curved M-mode representation of the myocardial strain rate showed that the basal septum was encoded in a mixture of blue and red spots during diastole, showing massive basal septal vibration. In the present case, the force of the regurgitant flow might have caused vibration of the basal septum, thereby possibly leading to distinct thrill.