Skip Navigation

European Journal of Echocardiography 2008 9(2):284-285; doi:10.1016/j.euje.2007.06.004
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Saura, D.
Right arrow Articles by Valdés-Chávarri, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Saura, D.
Right arrow Articles by Valdés-Chávarri, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2007. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Systolic aortic regurgitation

Daniel Saura*, Josefa González, Gonzalo de la Morena and Mariano Valdés-Chávarri

Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Carretera Murcia-Cartagena S/N, 30120 Murcia, Spain

Received 4 April 2007; accepted after revision 2 June 2007; online publish-ahead-of-print 24 August 2007.

* Corresponding author. Tel: + 34 657 30 12 39; fax: + 34 968 36 95 58. E-mail address: danielsaura{at}secardiologia.es


   Abstract
Top
 Abstract
References
 
Aortic regurgitation is normally a diastolic phenomenon. Echocardiographic images of systolic aortic regurgitation in a patient with atrial fibrillation and heart failure are presented, and haemodynamic interpretation is provided.

Keywords: Aortic regurgitation; Atrial fibrillation; Echocardiography

A 64-year-old woman with a history of hypertension was admitted to hospital with recent-onset atrial fibrillation and symptoms of heart failure. In a recent checkup she was in normal sinus rhythm and an echocardiogram had shown dilated left atrium, normal left ventricular function, grade III/IV mitral regurgitation and grade I/IV aortic regurgitation. A new transthoracic echocardiographic examination before the heart rate was controlled demonstrated that aortic regurgitation persisted during some systoles after a short diastolic interval. Figure 1 is a systolic still frame of an echocardiographic parasternal long axis view colour Doppler flow mapping, showing coexistence of mitral and aortic regurgitation. Continuous-wave Doppler flow velocity spectrum recorded from apical transducer position (Figure 2) displayed that beats with a short R-R interval only resulted in a decline in aortic regurgitation velocity (second and fifth beats on Figure 2) but not in antegrade aortic flow, since ventricular systole was unable to overcome aortic pressure. Short diastoles prevented adequate ventricular preload, leading to mechanical ineffective contractions that contributed to the inefficiency of heart work. Aortic regurgitation is a diastolic phenomenon, but systolic aortic regurgitation has been described in arrhythmias1,2 and after surgery for palliation of complex double-outlet right ventricle.3


Figure 1
View larger version (61K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
[Download PowerPoint slide]
  		Figure 1 Parasternal long axis view colour Doppler flow mapping. Coexistence of mitral and aortic regurgitation in systole.

 


Figure 2
View larger version (78K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
[Download PowerPoint slide]
  		Figure 2 Continuous-wave Doppler flow velocity spectrum recorded from apical transducer position. Aortic regurgitation flow persists with a decline in its velocity after the second and fifth beats.

 

   References
Top
 Abstract
 References
 
  1. Unger P, Vandenbossche JL. Doppler demonstration of systolic aortic regurgitation. Am Heart J (1992) 123:805–7.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]
  2. Kronzon I, Konecky N, Tunick PA. Systolic aortic regurgitation: a hemodynamic challenge for the clinician. J Am Soc Echocardiogr (1995) 8:941–3.[CrossRef][Medline]
  3. Giuffre RM, Musewe NN, Smallhorn JF, Freedom RM. Aortic regurgitation during systole: color flow mapping and Doppler interrogation following the Damus-Kaye-Stansel procedure. Pediatr Cardiol (1991) 12:46–8.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?



This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Saura, D.
Right arrow Articles by Valdés-Chávarri, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Saura, D.
Right arrow Articles by Valdés-Chávarri, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?