Characteristic Echocardiographic Manifestations of Behçet's Disease

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the characteristic echocardiographic manifestations of Behçet's disease. Ninety-seven Behçet's patients admitted to our hospital from January 2002 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 63 patients (64.9%) with cardiac involvement; these included 47 men (74.6%) and 16 women (25.4%). Of these 63 patients, most (74.6%) exhibited valvular lesions, especially aortic regurgitation. The primary characteristic manifestations of valves were cusp prolapse with aneurysmal changes, vegetation-like lesions and echo-free spaces within the annulus. Second (30.0%) were aortic lesions, including aortic dilation or aneurysm formation, aortic pseudoaneurysm and coronary sinus aneurysm. Other manifestations, such as cardiac thrombosis, coronary arterial pseudoaneurysm, pulmonary aneurysm and pericardial effusion, were rare. Cardiac involvement is not uncommon in Behçet's patients, especially in males, and it is characterized by valvular disease, especially aortic regurgitation. The diagnosis of Behçet's disease should be considered when evaluating patients with these characteristic echocardiographic manifestations.

Keywords: Behçet's disease; Diagnosis; Echocardiography; Gender; Manifestation.