Doppler echocardiography in diagnosis of mitral insufficiency

By means of pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) the authors investigated 53 patients who subsequently underwent heart catheterization and left ventriculography. The results of PDE examination agreed with ventriculography in 29 out of 31 patients with mitral regurgitation (PDE sensitivity = 94%). In 22 patients with no angiographic evidence of mitral regurgitation PDE exhibited two false positive results (PDE specificity = 91%). A semi-quantitative assessment of regurgitation by predetermined PDE criteria was successful in differentiating a group of severe mitral insufficiency (MI) from less significant MI (= mild and moderate MI angiographically). The agreement with ventriculographic classification of MI was 87 and 86%, respectively. The presented results clearly indicate that PDE, as a non-invasive methods, is precise enough in detecting mitral regurgitation and can be recommended for application in adult cardiology.