[Relation between Doppler echocardiography and the surface area of the mitral valve]

The Doppler signal of mitral flow velocity depends not only on the pressure drop across the mitral orifice, but on the volume flow also. Since the slope of the maximum velocity curve and the rate of decrease of pressure drop during diastole are influenced by the degree of obstruction, we compared the findings of the Doppler examination in our patients with different mitral valve areas determined by 2-D echocardiography.