Application of the 2023 World Heart Federation guidelines for the echocardiographic diagnosis of rheumatic heart disease

Abstract

Rheumatic heart disease remains prevalent in some regions of Australia and New Zealand. Echocardiography is the gold standard for detection and diagnosis using the 2023 World Heart Federation guidelines. The guidelines describe specific features of mitral and aortic valve morphology and define pathological regurgitation associated with RHD. The aim of this education piece was to assist cardiac sonographers and reporting specialists in the accurate detection, diagnosis, and classification of RHD findings. We present the echocardiographic features of RHD as defined by the 2023 WHF guidelines, including a poster summarising the individual criteria for diagnosis.