Abstract
Through numerical experimentation we investigated the isovelocity surface area flow convergence method used in estimating regurgitant valve flow rates. Recent advances in three-dimensional color Doppler flow imaging have created renewed interest in this method. Experimentation was based on the use of depth-averaged finite element models of the left heart. The heart models studied varied from 'synthetic' representations to a model of a left heart traced from an actual echocardiographic image of a patient with a prolapsed mitral valve. The isovelocity surface area flow convergence method overestimated regurgitant flow rates throughout the Nyquist limits considered with a critical Nyquist limit in which this overestimation is minimized. The angle dependence of Doppler color flow imaging partially corrects for this overestimation. The isovelocity surface area flow convergence method is a viable alternative to methods currently in use. Through numerical experimentation, we have begun to shed light on the inaccuracies inherent in this flow convergence method.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 809-818 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1998 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine