Thirty-six patients with tetralogy of Fallot or pulmonary valve stenosis with prior pulmonary valvuloplasty or transannular or subannular patch repair underwent 2D and Doppler echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic measurements used to predict severe PR included diastolic flow reversal in the main or branch pulmonary arteries, PR jet width ?50 % of the pulmonary annulus, PR pressure half-time < 100 ms, and PR index < 0.77.
With the exception of PR index, all indices were significant independent predictors of severe PR. The best univariate predictor of severe PR was branch pulmonary artery diastolic flow reversal.
Two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography reliably identified severe PR in this cohort.