A comparison oftheassessmentofmitral valve area bycontinuous wave Dopplerandbycross sectional echocardiography

SUMMARY Transmitral pressurehalftime(PHT)was assessed bycontinuous wave Dopplerin 44patients withrheumatic mitral valvestenosis (14, pure mitral valvestenosis; 15,combined mitral stenosis andregurgitation; and15withassociated aortic valveregurgitation). The mitral valve area,derived fromtransmitral pressure halftimebytheformula220/pressure halftime, was compared withthatestimated bycrosssectional echocardiograpy. Thetransmitral pressure half timecorrelated wellwiththemitral valve area estimated by cross sectional echocardiography. Thecorrelation between pressurehalf timeandthecrosssectional echocardiographic mitral valve areawas alsogoodforpatients withpure mitral stenosis andforthosewithassociated mitral or aortic regurgitation. Theregression coefficients inthethree groups ofpatients were significantly different. Nevertheless, a transmitral pressure halftimeof175ms correctly identified 20of21 patients withcrosssectional echocardiographic