BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Valvular strands, thin filamentous material attached to the mitral or aortic valve, are seen during transesophageal echocardiography and have been associated with @entity64 . Little is known about this association in different age, sex, and race-ethnic subgroups and the effect of various strand characteristics on this association. METHODS: From @entity1 referred for transesophageal echocardiography, 73 @entity1 with recent @entity385 (68) or transient @entity63 attack (5) were age matched to 73 @entity64 - and transient @entity63 attack-free control subjects. The association between valvular strands and @entity2806 was evaluated for the overall group and demographic subgroups. The effect of strand location, length, number, and valve thickness was also determined. RESULTS: An association between @entity2806 and valvular strands was observed (odds ratio [OR] = 4.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0 to 9.6). The association was found for both @entity1 and @entity1 and among all three race-ethnic groups. The OR was greater in those who were younger (12.5 [95% CI = 2.4 to 64.5] for age < 60, 4.8 [95% CI = 1.3 to 18.2] for age 60 to 69, and 1.8 [95% CI = 0.5 to 6.4] for age > or = 70 years). Strands on both the mitral (OR = 3.5; 95% CI = 1.5 to 7.9) and aortic (OR = 3.7; 95% CI = 1.1 to 11.9) valve were associated with @entity2806 , whereas the number and length of strands were not. The effect of strands was independent of mitral or aortic valve thickness. CONCLUSIONS: Valvular strands, whether mitral or aortic, are associated with @entity385 , especially among younger @entity1 .

Valvular strands and XXXX . Effect of demographics and strand characteristics.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients', 'persons', 'men'] @entity64 :: ('MESH:D020521', 'Disease') :: ['stroke'] @entity2806 :: ('MESH:D002545', 'Disease') :: ['cerebral ischemia'] @entity63 :: ('MESH:D007511', 'Disease') :: ['ischemic'] @entity385 :: ('MESH:D002544', 'Disease') :: ['ischemic stroke']
@entity2806 :: (MESH:D002545,Disease) :: ['cerebral ischemia']
