Semiquantitation of aortic regurgitation by different Doppler echocardiographic techniques and comparison with ultrafast computed tomography.

Fourteen patients with chronic aortic regurgitation were studied by several two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic methods to determine the severity of aortic regurgitation. Semiquantitation of aortic regurgitation was performed by various color-flow imaging measurements, diastolic half-time of the continuous-wave regurgitation jet, and pulsed-wave velocity curve in the descending aorta. These measurements were compared with regurgitant volume and fraction by ultrafast computed tomography. All Doppler methods demonstrated a significant correlation for severity of aortic regurgitation with regurgitant fraction by ultrafast computed tomographic scanning, but scatter was present with each method. The methods with the closest correlation were at the lowest level of obtainable results. In clinical practice, all Doppler methods must be used to determine the severity of aortic regurgitation.