Aortic allograft implantation techniques: pathomorphology and regurgitant jet patterns by Doppler echocardiographic studies.

Background: The diagnosis of allograft-specific pathology by echocardiography has important consequences for patient counseling and research. This study describes the pathomorphologic findings and color Doppler jet patterns in a consecutive series of patients after allograft placement with either the subcoronary implantation or root replacement technique.

Methods: From 1987 to July 1996, the subcoronary allograft implantation technique and root replacement technique were used in 82 patients and 70 patients, respectively.

Reproducibility of color Doppler flow quantification of aortic regurgitation.

The preferred method for quantification of aortic regurgitation severity with color Doppler echocardiography is the assessment of the ratio of jet diameter to left ventricular outflow tract diameter and jet area to left ventricular outflow tract area. However, the reproducibility of these measurements is not known and may limit its clinical application. This study was performed to identify sources of variability and reproducibility of the echocardiographic data.