This study was performed with 156 valves exsized from 130 patients who were operated for rheumatic valve disease in Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Department. The 124 of the examined valves were mitral and 32 were aortic. We compared the preope rative echocardiographic (echo) findings and the postoperative macroscobic findings of the exsized valves for determination of the calcification. After the macroscobic examination, the valve materials were examined with direct radiography. The presence of calcification of the valves radiologically determined were confirmed with histopathologic examination. The results showed that the positive predictive accuracy of echo was 85.5% and the positive predictive accuracy of macroscopy was 94.2 %. The negative predictive accuracy of echo and macroscopy vvere 94.5 % and 96 %, respectively. The sensitivity of echo with comparision of the radiologic examination was 92.8 % and the spesifisity was 89.2%. The sensitivity of macroscopy vvas 95.5 % and the spesificîty was 95.7%.
Since the sensitivity, spesificity and the predictive accuracy of echo were higher, it is considered to be a reliable method to determine the valvular calcifications.