Non-Invasive Enstimation of the Degree of Aortic Reagurgitation by Color-coded Doppler

An attempt was made to determine whether aortic regurgitation could be detected and its severity evaluated qualitatively by the color-coded Doppler system in 50 patients who underwent cineaortography. Aortic regurgitant flow was imaged as a jet spurting out from the aortic orifice into the left ventricular outflow tract in diastole. The sensitivity of the tehnique in the detection of aortic regurgitation was 98 % as compared with that of cineaortography. Undected aortic regurgitation in a case was mild. On the basis of the farthest distance reached by the regurgitant flow signal from the aortic orifice, the severity of regurgitation was graded on a four point scale and these results were compared with those of angiography. A significant correlation (r=0.638) was found between Doppler imaging and angiography in the evaluation of severity of aortic regurgitation. Thus, noninvasive semiquantitative evaluation by color-coded Doppler system appears to be a promising clinical technique.