A novel technique to quantify the instantaneous mitral regurgitant rate

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Quantitative Analysis

Background:

• Systolic variation in mitral regurgitation (MR) complicates accurate quantification.
• Current echocardiographic methods struggle to account for this dynamic variation.
• Previous studies qualitatively described, but did not quantify, systolic variation in MR.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the systolic temporal variation of mitral regurgitation (MR) using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR).
• To assess the impact of systolic variation on MR quantification across different jet types.

Main Methods:

• 41 patients underwent CMR for MR assessment.
• Systole divided into three phases; MR jets categorized (holosystolic, early, late).
• Instantaneous regurgitant rate calculated per systolic phase using aortic flow and LVSV.

Main Results:

• Regurgitant rate varied significantly (1.6- to 3.4-fold differences) across systolic phases.
• Overlap in peak regurgitant rates observed among mild, moderate, and severe MR.
• Greatest regurgitant rate variation noted in patients with mild MR.

Conclusions:

• CMR enables quantification of systolic temporal variation in MR.
• Significant regurgitant rate variation exists, even in holosystolic MR.
• Quantitative measures accounting for temporal variation are crucial for accurate MR assessment.