Mitral Regurgitation Evaluation in Modern Echocardiography: Bridging Standard Techniques and Advanced Tools for Enhanced Assessment

Abstract

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is one of the most common valvular heart diseases worldwide. Echocardiography remains the first line and most effective imaging modality for the diagnosis of mitral valve (MV) pathology and quantitative assessment of MR. The advent of three-dimensional echocardiography has significantly enhanced the evaluation of MV anatomy and function. Furthermore, recent advancements in cardiovascular imaging software have emerged as step-forward tools, providing a powerful support for acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of cardiac ultrasound images in the context of MR. This review aims to provide an overview of the contemporary workflow for echocardiographic assessment of MR, encompassing standard echocardiographic techniques and the integration of semiautomated and automated ultrasound solutions. These novel approaches include advancements in segmentation, phenotyping, morphological quantification, functional grading, and chamber quantification.