Thirteen patients with suspected aortic stenosis were studied with left-heart catheterization and 2 D, Doppler echocardiography. Thickness and abnormal motion of aortic valve was detected by 2 D Echo in 12 cases. One case had thick aortic valve with normal motion. The causes of lesions included rheumatic heart disease in one patient, bicuspid aortic valve in one, and senile calcific aortic valves in eleven. The left ventricular and aortic pressure were recorded simultaneously with left-heart catheterization. Peak-to-peak, instant peak and mean pressure gradients were measured. The aortic velocity was obtained with Continuous Wave (CW) Doppler. Instant peak and mean pressure gradients were calculated from Bernoulli equation. Both catheterization and Doppler demonstrated significant pressure gradient between LV and aorta in twelve patients. The instant peak and mean pressure gradients calculated from CW Doppler were compared with catheterization data. Doppler pressure gradients correlated well with that measured at catheterization: Doppler instant peak pressure gradient compared with that by catheterization, r = 0.89, P less than 0.001, Doppler instant peak pressure gradient compared with peak-to-peak pressure gradient by catheterization, r = 0.79, P less than 0.001, Doppler mean pressure gradient compared with that by catheterization, r = 0.75, P = 0.002. This study demonstrates that CW Doppler provides a valuable method for assessment of the severity of aortic stenosis.
