Abstract

Instantaneous cross sectional flow velocity profiles from early mitral flow in 10 healthy men were constructed by time interpolation of the velocity data from each point in sequentially delayed two dimensional digital Doppler ultrasound maps. This interpolation allows correction of the artificially produced skewness of velocities across the flow sector caused by the time taken to scan the flow sector for velocity recording of pulsatile blood flow. These results suggested that early mitral flow studied in an apical four chamber view is variably skewed both at the leaflet tips and at the annulus. The maximum flow velocity overestimated the cross sectional mean velocity at the same time by a factor of 1.2-2.2. Also the maximum time velocity integral overestimated the cross sectional mean time velocity integral to the same extent. This cross sectional skew must be taken into account when calculation of blood flow is based on recordings with pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound from a single sample volume.