Value and limitations of color Doppler flow mapping in the detection and semiquantification of valvular regurgitation.

We compared color Doppler flow mapping data to angiographic data in 294 patients with suspected valvular regurgitation. Thirty-one patients had rheumatic mitral regurgitation and 37 had mitral regurgitation due to mitral valve prolapse by angiography. Ten patients had no angiographic regurgitation (4 rheumatic, 6 prolapse). The remaining patients included 86 with suspected aortic regurgitation and 130 with suspected tricuspid regurgitation. Angiographically 74 had aortic regurgitation and 111 tricuspid regurgitation. The maximum size of regurgitant jets was evaluated in each patient by color flow mapping. The width of the jets was also taken into consideration. In 29 of the 31 with rheumatic regurgitation and 67 of the 74 with aortic regurgitation by angiography, abnormal regurgitant signals were detected by color flow mapping. In both rheumatic mitral regurgitation and aortic regurgitation, color Doppler estimation of the jets correlated well with angiographic grading. The regurgitant jets in these regurgitation were not eccentric. In the 37 with mitral regurgitation in mitral valve prolapse by left ventriculography, abnormal jets were detected in 35 by color flow mapping. However, the regurgitant jets were eccentric and color Doppler estimation of the jets correlated poorly with angiographic grading. In patients with tricuspid regurgitation, color Doppler grading of regurgitation correlated poorly with right ventriculographic grading. A color Doppler underestimation was observed in 48%. In conclusion, color Doppler flow mapping is useful in the noninvasive detection and semiquantification of rheumatic mitral regurgitation and aortic regurgitation having non-eccentric jets, although this technique often underestimates the severity of regurgitation in mitral valve prolapse.