Intracardiac phonocardiography, an interesting investigative technique, adds another dimension to cardiac diagnosis when combined with conventional techniques.
Use of an intracardiac micromanometer (capable of recording simultaneous sound and pressure), with an image amplifier, an external speaker system and external phonocardiograms, allows certainty both as to location of the sound-sensing device and discrimination of artifact.
Sixty-eight individuals (adolescents and adults) were studied with right heart catheterization. Nineteen with innocent systolic murmurs had no heart disease; 49 had organic heart disease with characteristic intracardiac murmurs. Correlation was with catheterization, angiographic or surgical findings.
Typical findings included tricuspid insufficiency (six), a regurgitant systolic