Right sided Austin Flint murmur

Right sided Austin Flint murmur

Classical Austin Flint murmur is a mid diastolic murmur in the mitral area heard in those with free aortic regurgitation. By similar analogy, a mid diastolic murmur in pulmonary regurgitation can be called a right sided Austin Flint murmur.

Mid diastolic and presystolic murmurs could be demonstrated in 7 out of 14 cases of pulmonary regurgitation in an old study by cardiac catheterization and intra cardiac phonocardiography [1]. All the 14 patients had pulmonary regurgitation murmur in the right ventricular outflow tract. Ten out of 14 had pulmonary hypertension and all with right sided Austin Flint murmur had pulmonary hypertension. Loudness of diastolic murmur increased on inspiration in four patients. This was typical of what was expected in a functional tricuspid stenosis with pulmonary regurgitation causing right sided Austin Flint murmur.

The right sided Austin Flint murmur was thought to be due to functional tricuspid stenosis caused by the pulmonary regurgitation. The antegrade flow through a closing tricuspid valve due to pulmonary regurgitation was proposed as the reason for the murmur. A previous report of right sided Austin Flint murmur documented by intracardiac phonocardiography is available [2].

References

  1. Kambe T, Hibi N, Fukui Y, Nishimura K, Ichimiya S, Toguchi M, Sakamoto N. Am Heart J. 1979 Dec;98(6):701-7.
  2. Green EW, Agruss NS, Adolph RJ. Am J Cardiol. 1973 Sep 7;32(3):370-4.