[Mitral, tricuspid and aortic regurgitation. Diagnosis and quantification]

Regurgitations may be detected with great sensitivity and good specificity by Doppler ultrasound cardiography. Semi-quantitative methods to evaluate its gravity are based on "mapping" using the pulsed Doppler or the color Doppler. Too rigid or exclusive criteria may result however in errors of interpretation and, as far as we are concerned, we prefer a classification regrouping the most possible elements, including conventional ultrasound cardiography. Measurements of the regurgitating volume and the regurgitating fraction may also be carried out from output measurements in different sites; however, the recording must be of very good quality and methodologic problems remain, which might nevertheless be resolved in the future. Other semi-quantitative methods, which are more specific to either one of the valves, have been advocated.