Effect of Cardiac Output on Color Doppler Flow Mapping Measurement for Aortic Regurgitation

Shin, Yung Woo

Abstract

Assessment of aortic regurgutation(AR) by means of color Doppler echocardiaography is known to be a reliable noninvasive measure of regurgutation, and the laboratories grade AR primarily on the basis of the maximal length of the regurgitant jet of color Doppler flow mapping. This paper describes the influence of the cardiac output upon the regurgitant jet length. Twenty seven adult patients with AR were examined. In 17 with mild AR of 27 patients, the perioperative color Doppler control studies of AR were done because mitral valve was replaced only. The regurgitant fraction and volume obtained by the thermodilution and pulse Doppler method were compared with angiographic and color Doppler esimates of severity of AR. The results show that the length of the regurgitant jet of AR by color Doppler study became larger aith indreasing cardiac output in the same patient and correlated well with regurgitant volume rether than regurgitant fraction. Therefore the regurgutant jet length appreared to be influenced by regurgutant volume which was altered by changing caediac output. In conclusion, a color Doppler study allows noninvasive quantitative estimation of severity of AR, and its use should take into account the cardiac output.