Correlation between calcific aortic stenosis diagnosed by two-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac catheterization.

This retrospective study correlates the severity of calcific aortic stenosis determined by two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography with the aortic valve area determined by catheterization in 57 patients. Aortic valve leaflet calcification was diagnosed by cineangiography in 50 (88%) of 57 patients and by 2-D echo in 57 (100%) of 57 patients (p less than 0.025). An agreement between severity of aortic stenosis by catheterization and 2-D echo occurred in 22 (39%) of 57 patients. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses showed no correlation between the severity of aortic stenosis and the 2-D echo variables: left ventricular wall thickness, left ventricular diastolic dimension, left ventricular systolic dimension, aortic root diameter, and left atrial dimension. We conclude that 2-D echo detects aortic leaflet calcification better than cineangiography. However, the severity of aortic stenosis determined by 2-D echo correlates poorly with the severity of aortic stenosis determined by cardiac catheterization.