[Quantitative indices of mitral valve regurgitation]

The assessment of the degree of mitral regurgitation has always been difficult and subject to errors. With the growing impetus on surgery in asymptomatic patients, the quantitation of mitral regurgitation has become a crucial part of the assessment of these patients. Several new methods have been developed that are currently utilized and allow the measurement of the lesion severity (Effective regurgitant orifice) and the volume overload (regurgitant volume and fraction) of mitral regurgitation.