The Tricks to Assessing Aortic Regurgitation

Leaky Aortic Valves Are Pesky

Overview

The diastolic backward flow through the aortic valve is called aortic regurgitation. It is important to understand that this process can be acute or chronic. Chronic processes will cause volume overload and acute processes will cause pressure overload. In cases of significant aortic regurgitation, we need to accurately measure left ventricular dimensions, volumes, and ejection fraction.

Role of Echocardiography

Echocardiography is an important tool to monitor the degree and presence of aortic regurgitation throughout the disease progression. Understanding the causes of this leak will improve your skills as a sonographer because it is a very common valvular pathology. The case examples and quick guide below will provide valuable tricks to assessing aortic regurgitation like a professional.