The seagull sign
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University Hospitals of Leicester, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, UK
- Correspondence to Dr Christopher David Steadman, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University Hospitals of Leicester, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK; cds18{at}le.ac.uk
In patients with severe aortic stenosis and heavily calcified valves, the associated harsh loud crescendo–decrescendo murmur often takes on a high-pitched musical quality, imitating the cooing sound of a seagull. We have now found that there is a ‘seagull sign’ to accompany this ‘seagull murmur’. Phase contrast imaging is a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) technique that allows the assessment of blood flow in the cardiovascular system, the CMR equivalent of Doppler echocardiography. The signal for CMR images is generated from protons which are continually spinning and emit radiofrequency waves, which are detected by specialised receiver coils …
