Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that platelet activation occurs in peripheral blood of patients with rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). However, in patients with MS, the plasma level of soluble P-selectin (a marker of platelet activation) remains unsettled.
Methods and results: A total of 20 patients with symptomatic MS undergoing percutaneous transluminal mitral valvuloplasty (PTMV) were studied (group 1; 16 patients in permanent atrial fibrillation, and 4 patients in sinus rhythm). The plasma levels of soluble P-selectin in the femoral vein and artery, and right and left atria before PTMV and those in the peripheral venous blood at the 1-week and 4-week follow-ups after PTMV were determined by solid-phase, sandwich, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mitral valve area was calculated by means of the Doppler pressure half-time method. In addition, we measured plasma concentrations of soluble P-selectin in the peripheral venous blood samples obtained from 22 control patients (including 14 healthy volunteers in sinus rhythm [group 2] and 8 patients in permanent lone atrial fibrillation [group 3]). The plasma levels of soluble P-selectin were significantly elevated in group 1 patients (49.78 +/- 37.72 ng/mL) [mean +/- SD] compared with group 2 (25.52 +/- 15.38 ng/mL) and group 3 patients (32.17 +/- 14.18 ng/mL) [p < 0.005]. In group 1 patients, the plasma levels of soluble P-selectin in the left atrium did not significantly differ from those in the right atrium, femoral vein, or femoral artery (p = 0.05). The area of mitral valve increased significantly after PTMV (1.06 +/- 0.17 cm(2) vs 1.48 +/- 0.32 cm(2), p < 0.0001). The mean left atrial pressure fell significantly and immediately after PTMV (23.0 +/- 5.1 mm Hg vs 17.6 +/- 5.9 mm Hg, p < 0.0001). The peripheral venous plasma levels of soluble P-selectin obtained before PTMV did not significantly fall after PTMV (before, 49.8 +/- 37.7 ng/mL; 10 min after, 39.8 +/- 19.1 ng/mL; 1 week after, 46.1 +/- 20.8 ng/mL; and 4 weeks after, 41.2 +/- 15.9 ng/mL; p = 0.145).
Conclusions: The venous plasma levels of soluble P-selectin in patients with moderate-to-severe MS were significantly higher than those in healthy volunteers or patients with lone atrial fibrillation. In addition, in patients with MS, there was no difference in the plasma levels of soluble P-selectin between the left and right atrial blood and between peripheral and atrial blood. Moreover, there was no change in soluble P-selectin levels as a result of PTMV.