Computerized intraoperative calculation of instantaneous prosthetic aortic valve area

Improved assessment of valve area is essential to understanding the performance of prosthetic valves. The authors studied six patients undergoing aortic valve replacement using mechanical (ME) or porcine (PO) prostheses. Instantaneous cardiac output (CO) (L/min) was measured in the aorta using an ultrasonic flow probe. Left ventricular and aortic pressures (mmHg) were measured using Millar catheters. Data were analyzed using an IBM PC-AT. Valve area (cm2) was determined using Gorlin's formula (AG) and a new formula for instantaneous area derived mathematically and using a theoretic constant. AG, mean (AI) and peak (Apk) instantaneous areas were compared to geometric measures of area (Aactual) in vitro. Peak instantaneous area correlates best with measured area. Intraoperative assessment using the ultrasonic flow probe and computer analysis is helpful in understanding the dynamic properties of prosthetic valves in vivo.