Right ventricular apical view—A new window for doppler echocardiography of aortic valve stenosis |
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Authors: | Martin H. Hust,Birgit Metzler,Stephan Fritz,Bernd Braun,Kai R cker,H.-H. Dickhuth |
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Affiliation: | Martin H. Hust,Birgit Metzler,Stephan Fritz,Bernd Braun,Kai Röcker,H.-H. Dickhuth |
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Abstract: | We studied a new Doppler echocardiographic approach in 56 patients with valvular aortic stenosis from the right ventricular apex (AS-RV) and compared the transvalvular gradients with the results of the standard view from the left ventricular apex (AS-LV). AS-RV resulted in good or acceptable velocity curves in 59% of patients. The correlation between the two apical views for the peak/mean gradients were close (r = 0.95/0.96). Using all typical positions for Doppler investigation of aortic stenosis, highest peak gradients were best recorded in five cases by AS-RV. In one woman with a narrow left ventricular cavum and severe aortic stenosis, only AS-RV yielded a technically good spectral curve. Thus, in selected patients—probably those with a small left ventricular cavity or an enlarged right ventricle—AS-RV may be the best window or even the only possibility in Doppler investigation of aortic valve stenosis. |
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Keywords: | Doppler echocardiography aortic stenosis |
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