Comparison of tissue Doppler and propagation velocity to invasive measures for measuring left ventricular filling pressures

The utility of tissue Doppler and propagation velocity in identifying patients with abnormal left ventricular filling pressures was assessed in 50 patients who underwent catheterization and echocardiography on the same day. The ratios of the peak velocity of early mitral inflow to early mitral annular velocity (E/Ea) and the velocity of propagation (E/Vp) were compared with invasive measurements of pre–A-wave left ventricular pressures. Echocardiography measures were 77% to 92% accurate in identifying patients with a pre–A-wave pressure >15 mm Hg. Tissue Doppler imaging is more accurate than propagation velocity.