Usefulness of the right parasternal view and non-imaging continuous-wave Doppler transducer for the evaluation of the severity of aortic stenosis in the modern area.

Abstract

Evaluation of the severity of the aortic stenosis (AS) is based on echocardiographic assessment of peak velocity/mean transaortic pressure gradient (MPG) by continuous-wave Doppler and calculation of the aortic valve area (AVA) using the continuity equation. Pioneering echocardiographic studies have shown that MPG should be measured from the apical and right parasternal views using non-imaging continuous-wave Doppler transducer (NI-CWD). Nowadays, ultrasound systems are often sold without NI-CWD due, at least partially, to the improvement of two-dimensional continuous-wave Doppler transducers (2D-CWD). Whether this evolution translated into misevaluation of AS severity was uncertain. Our aim was to evaluate the additional diagnostic value of the use of NI-CWD and the right parasternal view for the evaluation of AS severity in the modern area.