Guidelines for the valuation of valvular heart disease by echocardiography
recommend the quantification of severity. For accurate quantification, it is necessary to
assume the mitral annulus (MA) area to calculate mitral stroke volume (SV). We
applied and preliminarily verified a new method to calculate the MA area.
A Japanese man in his 60s without any abnormal cardiac findings including
regurgitation in the aortic or mitral valve was simultaneously evaluated by a
conventional and new method. The MA area was calculated by using a conventional
method with an apical 4 chamber view (4CV) and apical 2 chamber view (2CV), and a
new method with an apical commissure-commissure view (CCV) and apical 3 chamber
view (3CV). Mitral SV was calculated from the MA area values by both methods and
compared with left ventricular SV (LVSV) by using a modified Simpson method.
MA areas estimated by the new method were smaller than that those estimated by the
conventional method. Mitral SV estimated by the new method was closer to LVSV
than that estimated by the conventional method.
The new echocardiographic method to calculate an MA area with apical CCV and 3CV
may be more exact and useful than the conventional method. The results in this case
report suggest that further evaluation at a larger scale may yield promising results.
Keywords: Echocardiography, Mitral annulus area, Stroke volume assessment,
Valvular heart disease, Valvular regurgitation volume.