Letter Regarding Article by Diwan et al, “Doppler Estimation of Left Ventricular Filling Pressures in Patients With Mitral Valve Disease”

Abstract

To the Editor: In the article on Doppler estimation of left ventricular filling pressures in patients with mitral valve disease, Diwan et al1 measured the time interval between the onset of early diastolic mitral inflow (E) and annular early diastolic velocity (Ea) by tissue Doppler (TDI), expressed as TE–Ea. We have concerns about the accuracy of this measurement. To avoid large differences in the diastolic time intervals with different R-R cycle lengths, they said that identical R-R intervals (≤5 ms) were chosen for timing the onset of mitral E and the onset of mitral annular Ea. But even in Figure 1 of the article by Diwan et al,1 after lining the vertical lines at the peak of the R wave, we found that the R waves of the …