Regurgitant Flow Rate Estimation Using Doppler Color Flow Imaging in Children with Mitral Regurgitation

Several methods have been proposed for ultrasonic quantification of mitral regurgitation. A new method, Doppler color-flow mapping of a proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) from a red-blue aliasing radius has been shown in vitro to be accurate for estimating volume flow rates . Volume flow rate (cm3/sec) can be calculated as PISA (cm2) x aliasing velocity (cm/sec). Thirtyseven patients aged from eight months to 12 years (mean: 3.1 years) were included in this study. There was a significant correlation between PISA-Doppler and catheterization results (r=0.93, p<0.0001). The ratio of Doppler color regurgitant jet area to left atrial area correlated well with the angiographic grading of mitral regurgitation (r=0.92, p<0.0001). In our opinion, the correlation between PISA and angiography was superior to area %and angiography. In conclusion, calculating mitral regurgitant flow rate from PISA provides excellent agreement with angiography and may be useful clinically in estimating the severity of valvular regurgitation.