Cardiac magnetic resonance in chronic aortic regurgitation: quantification, clinical utility and role alongside echocardiography.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37615/retic.v9n2a2Keywords:
aortic valve insufficiency, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, ventricular remodelingAbstract
Chronic aortic regurgitation is a valvular heart disease characterized by diastolic backflow from the aorta into the left ventricle, leading to progressive volume overload and ventricular remodeling. Transthoracic echocardiography represents the first-line imaging modality for diagnosis and follow-up, although it may present limitations for accurate quantification in certain clinical scenarios. We will review the role of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in the evaluation of chronic aortic regurgitation, including the principles of regurgitation quantification, its clinical utility and its complementary role alongside echocardiography. CMR allows direct quantification of regurgitant volume and regurgitant fraction using phase-contrast sequences and is currently considered the reference method for quantifying aortic regurgitation. In addition, it provides highly reproducible assessments of ventricular volumes, systolic function and aortic valve and thoracic aorta anatomy. Several studies have shown that CMR-derived parameters, such as regurgitant fraction and indexed ventricular volumes, have prognostic value and are associated with disease progression. Cardiac magnetic resonance is a key imaging modality for the comprehensive evaluation of chronic aortic regurgitation. Its high accuracy in regurgitation quantification and ventricular remodeling assessment makes it particularly valuable in cases with discordant or inconclusive echocardiographic findings.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Alejandro Lara García, Carmen Labarta-Bello, Elena Refoyo Salicio, Gabriela Guzmán Martínez
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