title: Assessment of mitral regurgitant jets by three-dimensional color Doppler.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Color Doppler echocardiography is a standard technique for assessing mitral regurgitation before and after mitral valvuloplasty. Mitral valve prolapse produces complex eccentric jet flows that cannot be visualized and measured by two-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of three-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography, a new technique developed at our institution, for assessing mitral regurgitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five patients with mitral regurgitation underwent intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography and three-dimensional Doppler data acquisition. The grade of mitral regurgitation was assessed by angiography. The jet areas were calculated by planimetry from conventional color Doppler; the jet volumes were obtained by three-dimensional Doppler data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  New patterns of mitral regurgitant flows were recognized according to the origin, direction, and spatial spreading into the left atrium. Conventional jet areas failed to separate the groups of patients with different degrees of regurgitation, whereas the jet volumes were able to divide patients with different regurgitation grades. No significant correlation was found between jet area and angiographic grading (r = 0.63, p = NS). Jet volumes were significantly correlated to angiography (r = 0.89, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three-dimensional color Doppler echocardiography revealed new patterns of regurgitant flow and allowed a more accurate semiquantitative assessment of complex asymmetrical regurgitant jets.
authors: Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Germany. r.de.simone@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
authors: R
authors: R
authors: De Simone
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Glombitza
authors: C F
authors: CF
authors: Vahl
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Albers
authors: H P
authors: HP
authors: Meinzer
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Hagl
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color