Prosthetic mitral inflow mimicking severe aortic regurgitation (revisited). An echocardiographic challenge.

Assessing aortic regurgitation (AR) severity in patients with mitral valve prosthesis may pose an echocardiographic challenge. We present a case of mild AR in whom difficulty occurred in judging its severity due to eccentric mitral prosthetic inflow signals filling practically completely the proximal left ventricular outflow tract in diastole mimicking severe AR. Frame-by-frame analysis of two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic images using a small sector depth and width was helpful in clarifying the true severity of AR.

Prominent pulmonary venous flow mimicking mitral regurgitation.

The present case highlights a potential pitfall in assessing mitral regurgitation severity due to the presence of similar colored prominent pulmonary vein signals in the left atrium during color Doppler examination.