Quantitative Doppler-echocardiographic determination of regurgitant volume in patients with aortic insufficiency

The severity of aortic regurgitation (AR) can be determined by invasive or echocardiographic methods. We systematically compared quantitative invasive and echocardiographic data with semiquantitative invasive grades in a prospective series of patients.

Using Doppler-echocardiography we determined the cardiac output over the aortic, pulmonary and mitral valve in 27 patients (20 with, 7 without AR). Aortic regurgitant volume was calculated as the difference between the cardiac output over aortic and pulmonary valve/ mitral valve. During angiography the severity of AR was assessed semiquantitatively by aortography and the regurgitant volume was calculated invasively as the difference between the left- and right ventricular cardiac output.

The echocardiographically and invasively determined regurgitant blood volume correlated closely (R approximately 0.8). The regurgitant volume increased with higher angiographic grade but there was significant overlap between adjoining qualitative grades.

In patients with AR, quantitative echocardiographic and angiographic measurements of the regurgitant volume correlate closely.