ATRIOVENTRICULAR VALVE ORIFICE AREAS IN NORMAL SUBJECTS - DETERMINATION BY CROSS-SECTIONAL AND DOPPLER-ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Mitral and tricuspid valve orifice areas were determined in 78 healthy subjects (age range, 2 months-50 years; mean, 20 +/- 13 years; 43 mal e, 35 female; body surface area, 0.25-1.9 m(2); mean, 1.24 +/- 0.45 m( 2)) by a combined echo-Doppler approach to establish normal values and their relationship with body surface area. Mitral valve orifice area by direct planimetry (3.37 +/- 1.13 cm(2) range, 0.52-5.6 cm(2)) and b y continuity equation (3.62 +/- 1.08 cm(2); range, 0.66-5.4 cm(2)) wer e similar (r = 0.85, P < 0.0001). Tricuspid valve orifice area (4.07 /- 1.5 cm(2); range 0.62-7.2 cm(2)) by continuity equation had a close correlation with mitral valve orifice area (r = 0.76, P < 0.001). Mit ral and tricuspid valve orifice areas were significantly correlated to body surface area (r = 0.85 and 0.77, respectively), left and right v entricular outflow tract diameters (r = 0.90 and 0.79, respectively) a nd age (r = 0.70 and 0.61, respectively). These data provide normal va lues for atrioventricular valve orifice areas in normal subjects with a wide range of body surface area and support the practice of indexing valve area by body surface area.