Determination of the mean pressure gradient in mitral stenosis by Doppler echocardiography Address for reprints- Downloaded from

. Of these, however, the mean pressure gradient provides the most meaningful information about the severity of mitral stenosis and is most commonly used in clinical practice 1781 . Unfortunately, determination of the mean pressure gradient from Doppler recordings has proved difficult because of the squared relation between velocity and pressure gradient. Presently, two mathematical methods have been described. The square of the mean velocity has been postulated to approximate to the mean pressure gradient' although the two gradients are quite different conceptually. A more commonly used arithmetical average method requires 'point by point' calculations of instantaneous pressure gradients, and therefore, is tedious and subject to errors' 3 ' 51 . The present study was undertaken to develop and evaluate a new mathematical method for determining the mean pressure gradient in mitral stenosis by Doppler echocardiography. Methods MATHEMATICAL CONSIDERATIONS In the following analysis, we assume that the geometric figure of the Doppler velocity curve in mitral stenosis is a combination of several triangles. Let us first consider a single triangle in 0195-668X 85 100858 + 07 S02.00