Evaluation of the Severity of Mitral Valvular Regurgitation with Doppler Echocardiography Using Proximal Flow Convergence Method

Abstract

Problem statement: Valvular regurgitation is recognized as the central cause of morbidity and mortality. Even though the clinician can detect the presence of regurgitation by mere physical examination; diagnostic methods become inevitable while estimating the severity of valvular regurgitation and in the transformation of cardiac chambers as in reaction to the volume overload condition. Lately, a promising new technology, the Echocardiography with Doppler is found to facilitate the non-invasive recognition and assessment of the severity and etiology of valvular regurgitation. Accurate measurements of regurgitant volume in patients is of utmost importance since it aids in the estimation of the progression of the disease which in turn is vital for determining the optimal time for surgical repair or replacement. Approach: Color space conversion and anisotropic diffusion segmentation techniques are utilized in this study for the pre-processing stage of the quantification of mitral regurgitation. Flow field measurements are carried out with the aid of proximal flow convergence method. Results: A calculated value of flow rate, regurgitant orifice area, regurgitant fraction and the regurgitant volume for a regurgitant orifice in the cardiovascular system are obtained from the potential Color Doppler visualization of the flow convergence region. Conclusion: The research proposed provides a significant assessment of the echocardiographic and Doppler techniques employed in the evaluation of mitral valvular regurgitation in the patients. Additionally it also proffers the estimation of mildness, severity and eccentricity of mitral valvular regurgitation on basis of the scientific literature and a consensus of a panel of experts.