EVALUATION OF ECCENTRIC AORTIC REGURGITATION BY COLOR DOPPLER JET ANDCOLOR DOPPLER-IMAGED VENA CONTRACTA MEASUREMENTS - AN ANIMAL STUDY OFQUANTIFIED AORTIC REGURGITATION

To evaluate the utility of measurements of the color Doppler jet area, jet length, and width of the color Doppler-imaged vena contracta (the smallest flow diameter in any part of the flow acceleration field) as methods for quantifying aortic regurgitation (AR), eight sheep with s urgically induced AR were studied. AR was quantified as peak and mean regurgitant flow rates, regurgitant stroke volumes, and regurgitant fr actions as determined with pulmonary acid aortic electromagnetic flow probes and flowmeters balanced against each other. Simple linear regre ssion analysis between the maximal color jet areas, jet length, and fl owmeter data showed only moderately good correlation (jet area: 0.42 l ess than or equal to r less than or equal to 0.57, SEE = 2.85 cm(2); j et length: 0.42 less than or equal to r less than or equal to 0.59, SE E = 1.23 cm). In contrast, the width of color Doppler-imaged vena cont racta was a better indicator of the severity of AR on the basis of the electromagnetic flowmeter methods (0.73 less than or equal to r less than or equal to 0.90, SEE = 0.15 cm). Therefore the color Doppler jet length and jet area methods have limited use for determining AR, wher eas the width of the color Doppler-imaged vena contracta can be used f or quantifying the severity of AR.