Determination of Vena Contracta and its Value in Evaluating Severity of Aortic Regurgitation
Mehmet Eren MD, Abdurrahman Eksik MD, Sevket Gorgulu MD, Tugrul Norgaz MD, Bahadir Dagdeviren MD, Osman Bolca MD, Tuna Tezel MD

The study aim was to quantify aortic regurgitation (AR) using the transthoracic color Doppler- imaged vena contracta (VC) in the apical window. Fifty-five patients with chronic AR were enrolled in the study. The quantitative Doppler method, depending on mitral and aortic stroke volumes, was used as a reference method. The effective regurgitant orifice area (EROA), volume and fraction obtained by VC and reference methods were all in good agreement. In the multivariate analysis, EROA was the only determinant of VC. The accuracy of VC for severe AR was high. In conclusion, VC is a simple and reliable non-invasive parameter for evaluating the severity of AR.