Level of agreement between three-dimensional transthoracic and
transesophageal echocardiography for mitral annulus evaluation: a
feasibility and comparison study
Abstract
Introduction: Mitral annulus (MA) assessment is of utmost importance for
the management of patients with mitral valve (MV) abnormalities and
Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D-TOE) has been the
only reliable echocardiographic method for the evaluation of the mitral
annulus by now. However, newer transthoracic echocardiography (TTE)
probes have enabled to provide accurate measurements when TOE is
contraindicated. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of
3D-TTE analysis of MA and the level of agreement with 3D-TOE
measurements. Methods: A total of 121 consecutive patients were assessed
with 3D-TTE and TOE. All MA parameters were retrospectively analyzed
with the dedicated 4D-autoMVQ application. Bland-Altman analysis and
intraclass correlation coefficient were used for the comparison and
agreement between the two methods. Half of our patients had normal
mitral valves and served as control group, while the other half had
various mitral valve pathologies. Results: AutoMVQ analysis was not
feasible in 11 out of 121 TTE examinations (91% feasibility) and in 4
out of 121 TOE examinations (96% feasibility). MA area and perimeter
were slightly larger in TTE than those measured by TOE (12.7±3.6 vs
12.4±3.2cm2 for area and 12.7±1.7 vs 12.5±1.6cm for perimeter), however
still showing strong correlation (r=0.942 and r=0.922 respectively). The
majority of MV measurements were similar between the two methods with
strong correlation (r>0.80). Conclusions: Assessment of the
MV with 3D TTE with dedicated MVQ software is feasible and accurate,
showing strong correlation and agreement with TOE measurements.