title: Assessment of minimal mitral regurgitation: comparative study with Doppler echocardiography and ventriculography.
abstract: This study was designed to assess color Doppler echocardiographic parameters in subjects with minimal mitral regurgitation (MR) in an otherwise normal heart. Study cases were selected during a five month period from 2500 young males with an echocardiographic indication on the basis of subjects' complaints and physical examination. Left ventriculography was performed and subjects were dichotomized into group-1 (n = 30) if there was angiographically MR and into group-2 (n = 30) if they were intact. Patients in group-1 were described as to have 'true MR' and MR flow in group-2 was named 'physiological'. Doppler echocardiographic variables of true and physiological MR are compared to each other. The following echocardiographic variables were significantly different between group-1 and group-2: 1) the ratio of the max. duration of MR/mean systolic interval in parasternal long axis (0.710 +/- 0.244 vs 0.430 +/- 0.268, respectively, p < 0.001), 2) the ratio of the maximum duration of MR/mean systolic interval in apical four chamber view (0.550 +/- 0.361 vs 0.317 +/- 0.272 respectively, p = 0.007), 3) the peak velocity of the regurgitant flow in parasternal log axis (180 +/- 77 vs 120 +/- 69, respectively, p = 0.003), 4) the regurgitant jet area in parasternal long axis (0.813 +/- 0.651 vs 0.411 +/- 0.431, respectively, p = 0.007). The maximal duration of MR/mean systolic time interval > or = 0.6, regurgitant jet area > or = 0.4 cm2, and regurgitant peak velocity > or = 130 cm/sec. in parasternal long axis dichotomize the cases into true with a predictive value of 76%, 67% and 63%, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fehmi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sag
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kirilmaz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Altun
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Demirkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015635:Radionuclide Ventriculography; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity