Echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation: a narrative review

Abstract

Aortic regurgitation (AR) is the third most frequently encountered valve lesion and may be caused by abnormalities of the valve cusps or the aorta. Echocardiography is instrumental in the assessment of AR as it enables the delineation of valvular morphology, the mechanism of the lesion and the grading of severity. Severe AR has a major impact on the myocardium and carries a significant risk of morbidity and mortality if left untreated. Established and novel echocardiographic methods, such as global longitudinal strain and three-dimensional echocardiography, allow an estimation of this risk and provide invaluable information for patient management and prognosis. This narrative review summarises the epidemiology of AR, reviews current practices and recommendations with regards to the echocardiographic assessment of AR and outlines novel echocardiographic tools that may prove beneficial in patient assessment and management.

Aortic Regurgitation: From Valvular to Myocardial Dysfunction

“…Furthermore, the Doppler volumetric method used to calculate RegF is time-consuming and susceptible to multiple small measurement errors, which can result in substantial overall inaccuracies. The potential for error accumulation using a multi-variable equation to calculate EROA makes this method less advisable for individuals without a high level of echocardiographic experience and, thus, has significant limitations in routine clinical practice [25]. Therefore, no single measurement of Doppler parameters is sufficiently precise to quantify AR in individual patients; thus, an integration of multiple parameters is required [32,33].…”

“…In addition, holodiastolic flow reversal in the abdominal aorta is also a specific sign of severe AR. However, these methods can be influenced by the diastolic period, aortic distensibility, and dilatation [25].…”