Atrioventricular valve orifice areas in normal subjects: determination by cross-sectional and Doppler echocardiography

Abstract

Mitral and tricuspid valve orifice areas were determined in 78 healthy subjects (age range, 2 months–50 years; mean, 20 ± 13 years; 43 male, 35 female; body surface area, 0.25–1.9 m 2; mean, 1.24 ± 0.45 m 2) by a combined echo-Doppler approach to establish normal values and their relationship with body surface area. Mitral valve orifice area by direct planimetry (3.37 ± 1.13 cm 2; range, 0.52–5.6 cm 2) and by continuity equation (3.62 ± 1.08 cm 2; range, 0.66–5.4 cm 2) were similar ( r = 0.85, P < 0.0001). Tricuspid valve orifice area (4.07 ± 1.5 cm 2; range 0.62–7.2 cm 2) by continuity equation had a close correlation with mitral valve orifice area ( r = 0.76, P < 0.001). Mitral and tricuspid valve orifice areas were significantly correlated to body surface area ( r = 0.85 and 0.77, respectively), left and right ventricular outflow tract diameters ( r = 0.90 and 0.79, respectively) and age ( r = 0.70 and 0.61, respectively). These data provide normal values for atrioventricular valve orifice areas in normal subjects with a wide range of body surface area and support the practice of indexing valve area by body surface area.