A comparison of the assessment of mitral valve area by continuous wave Doppler and by cross sectional echocardiography (original) (raw)

Transmitral pressure half time (PHT) was assessed by continuous wave Doppler in 44 patients with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis (14, pure mitral valve stenosis; 15, combined mitral stenosis and regurgitation; and 15 with associated aortic valve regurgitation). The mitral valve area, derived from transmitral pressure half time by the formula 220/pressure half time, was compared with that estimated by cross sectional echocardiograpy. The transmitral pressure half time correlated well with the mitral valve area estimated by cross sectional echocardiography. The correlation between pressure half time and the cross sectional echocardiographic mitral valve area was also good for patients with pure mitral stenosis and for those with associated mitral or aortic regurgitation. The regression coefficients in the three groups of patients were significantly different. Nevertheless, a transmitral pressure half time of 175 ms correctly identified 20 of 21 patients with cross sectional echocardiographic mitral valve areas < 1-5 cm2. There were no false positives. The Doppler formula significantly underestimated the mitral valve area determined by cross sectional echocardiography by 28 (9)% in 19 patients with an echocardiographic area >2 cm and by 14 8 (8)% in 25 patients with area of < 2 cm2. In thirteen patients with pure mitral