Flow patterns of mitral regurgitation due to different etiologies: analysis by color-coded Doppler echocardiography

We have used cross-sectional real time color-coded Doppler echocardiography to characterize the patterns of the regurgitant jet seen in mitral valvar disease of different etiologies. We studied 118 patients with mitral regurgitation due to rheumatic valve disease (n = 26), hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (n = 22), dilated cardiomyopathy (n = 35) and prolapse of the leaflets of the mitral valve (n = 35). We analyzed the origin, spatial distribution, extent and duration of the regurgitant jet. A semiquantitative grading system was used to evaluate the extent of the jet by measuring its maximal area and the duration of regurgitant flow. Typical flow patterns could be observed in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, (in which the crescent shaped jet was elongated in midsystole and directed posteriorly) in dilated cardiomyopathy (in which oval shaped jets were observed throughout systole) and in prolapse of the leaflets (in which early or late systolic regurgitant jets occurred with an eccentric "drop-like" pattern, being directed posteriorly in patients with a prolapse of the aortic leaflet and anteriorly in those with a prolapse of the mural leaflet of the valve). A large variety of patterns was found in rheumatic disease due to the individual deformation of the leaflets. A comparison of the measured area of the jet revealed no significant differences between regurgitation caused by rheumatic valve disease and dilated cardiomyopathy. The regurgitation in 80% of these patients was of moderate to severe degree. In contrast, regurgitation due to prolapse of the leaflets or hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy appeared to be of mild to moderate degree in 90% of cases.