Ninety patients with chronic TR were enrolled. EROA and regurgitant volume (Rvol) were assessed using transthoracic 2D and 3D PISA methods. Quantitative Doppler and 3D transthoracic planimetry of EROA were used as reference methods.
Both EROA and Rvol assessed using the 3D PISA method had better correlations with the reference methods than using conventional 2D PISA, particularly in the assessment of eccentric jets. On the basis of 3D planimetry-derived EROA, 35 patients had severe TR (EROA ¡Ý 0.4 cm2). Among these 35 patients, 25.7 % (n?=?9) were underestimated as having nonsevere TR (EROA ¡Ü 0.4 cm2) using the 2D PISA method. In contrast, the 3D PISA method had 94.3 % agreement (33 of 35) with 3D planimetry in classifying severe TR. Good intraobserver and interobserver agreement for 3D PISA measurements was observed, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.92 and 0.88 respectively.
TR quantification using PISA by single-beat real-time 3D color Doppler echocardiography is feasible in the clinical setting and more accurate than the conventional 2D PISA method.