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Pitfalls in the Color Doppler Diagnosis of Valvular Regurgitation
Author(s) -
EBRAHIMI RAMIN,
GARDIN JULIUS M.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.1993.tb00030.x
Subject(s) - regurgitation (circulation) , hemodynamics , body orifice , valvular regurgitation , afterload , doppler effect , color doppler , jet (fluid) , medicine , flow (mathematics) , cardiology , biomedical engineering , computer science , mathematics , radiology , physics , mechanics , ultrasonography , geometry , anatomy , astronomy
Color Doppler flow mapping of the regurgitant jet is frequently used as a means of assessing the severity of valvular regurgitation. Although convenient, this method of assessing valvular regurgitation is subject to a number of hemodynamic and technical factors that may limit its accuracy. Variations in hemodynamic and structural factors such as orifice size, jet geometry, receiving chamber constraints, afterload, fluid viscosity, heart rate, and cardiac output may have profound effects on the measured regurgitant jet area. Variations in scanning and machine factors, such as scanning direction, Doppler angle, frame rate, color display algorithms, pulse repetition frequency (PRF), system gain, packet size, carrier frequency, wall filter, and transmit power have been shown to alter the measured regurgitant jet area significantly. Despite these limitations, color flow Doppler provides a relatively reliable noninvasive method for semiquantitative assessment of valvular regurgitation. Obviously, standardization of the design and application of the various available color mapping algorithms, as well as other machine and hemodynamic factors, would help provide more reliable and reproducible quantitative information about the degree of valvular insufficiency.