Color Doppler ultrasound assessment of artificial heart valves

This article was professionally consulted by a Doctor of Radiology, Department of Radiology - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

When having heart valve disease, the patient needs to be replaced with an artificial heart valve. The prosthetic valve needs to have similar characteristics to the normal heart valve to facilitate placement in the heart. There are 2 large groups of artificial heart valves, each with different durability and characteristics as follows:
Mechanical valves: Includes 1-blade disc valve and 2-blade disc valve. Single-blade disc valves consist of a metal valve ring attached to a freely movable pyrolytic carbon disc vane at an angle of 60-85 degrees around an axis, forming two large openings to facilitate blood circulation. The 2-bladed disc valve consists of two semicircular blades that move freely at an angle of 75-90 degrees on both sides and form a rectangular area and two large holes on both sides for blood circulation when the valve is open. Biological valves: Biological valves are created from animal tissues such as cows, pigs, horses or from organ donors, used for 10-15 years or less. Biological valves include valves with brackets, valves without brackets and valves that are placed through the skin

Doppler echocardiography is very important method. Through this ultrasound method, the doctor will evaluate the information about stenosis or regurgitation of the heart valve, evaluate the coordinated damage, heart function, pulmonary artery pressure ...
Therefore, ultrasound Cardiac Doppler is very important for prosthetic valve replacements. When echocardiography after heart valve replacement to evaluate the operation of the prosthetic valve, it is necessary to understand the following parameters:
Clinical information: Time the patient has had valve replacement surgery; valve type and size are changed; height, weight, BSA index; clinical symptoms and blood pressure, heart rate Ultrasound image of artificial heart valves: When echocardiography after heart valve replacement, it is necessary to capture the movement of the leaflets; images of calcified nodules, dark, dark clusters appearing on the surface of the prosthetic valve as well as other organs on the valve. In addition, the general principles when echocardiography of artificial heart valves to evaluate valve operation are as follows:
For transthoracic echocardiography: Area of ​​valve orifice and open lines; preliminary observation of valve operation; Quickly and accurately assess the flow velocity through the valve. For transesophageal echocardiography: More accurate assessment of valve morphology, structure, and function, however, estimation of transvalvular velocity may be inaccurate. Reduced echo and shadow, better visualization of prosthetic components of the valve, but difficult visualization of normal cardiac structures. Therefore, it should be set to normal initially, then reduce the gain to observe the components of the prosthetic heart valve.

After replacing the artificial heart valve, the patient needs to have regular check-ups and take medication as prescribed by the doctor. In case of abnormal symptoms, it is necessary to re-examine for timely treatment.
Using Doppler echocardiography is a way to help detect and diagnose some cardiovascular diseases quickly and effectively. If you suspect you have a problem, you can come to Vinme International General Hospital System c. As one of the leading prestigious hospitals in the country, Vinmec uses the most modern generations of color ultrasound machines today in examining and treating patients. One of them is GE Healthcarecar's Logig E9 ultrasound machine with full options, HD resolution probes for clear images, accurate assessment of lesions. In addition, a team of experienced doctors and nurses will greatly assist in the diagnosis and early detection of abnormal signs of the body in order to provide timely treatment.
In addition, to protect cardiovascular health in general and detect early signs of myocardial infarction and stroke, customers can subscribe to the Cardiovascular Screening Package - Basic Cardiovascular Examination of General Hospital Vinmec International. The examination package helps to detect cardiovascular problems at the earliest through tests and modern imaging methods. The package is for all ages, genders and is especially essential for people with risk factors for cardiovascular disease.