title: PISA method for assessment of mitral regurgitation in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and significance of the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method in children with rheumatic mitral regurgitation (MR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one children (mean age 12.3+/-3.1 years), with chronic MR, were evaluated by semiquantitative and quantitative Doppler, quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography and the PISA methods. Also, we compared the effective regurgitant orifice area, regurgitation volume and systolic left ventricular functions in mild-moderate and severe MR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences in the regurgitant orifice area and regurgitant volume values obtained by the PISA method and the quantitative Doppler (p>0.05) but they were different from the same values obtained by two dimensional echocardiography (p<0.05). There were excellent correlations between the regurgitant orifice area, regurgitant volume and the radius of the proximal flow convergence hemisphere (r=0.882, r=0.925, r=0.880; p<0.05). We found a very good correlation between the regurgitant orifice area obtained by the PISA and left ventricular end-diastolic diameters, the ratio of the jet/left atrial area, grading with color Doppler imaging (r=0.763, r=0.745, r=0.618; p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that MR can be accurately predicted in children by using the PISA method as like as the Doppler method.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Gaziantep University Faculty of Medicine, 27310 Gaziantep, Turkey. osmanbaspinar@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Başpinar
authors.forename: Sevim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karaaslan
authors.forename: Bülent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oran
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index