The March JASE contains an article by Dustin Hang, MD et al, “Accuracy of Jet Direction on Doppler Echocardiography in Identifying the Etiology of Mitral Regurgitation in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.” The authors conclude that, “A posteriorly directed jet of MR in obstructive HCM correlates highly with SAM as the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism, but because of the low negative predictive value, clinicians should be cautious in using the jet direction of MR on preoperative transthoracic echocardiography to guide the decision for concomitant MV surgery during septal myectomy for HCM.” Complementing this article is an editorial comment from Ehud Schwammenthal, MD, PhD, Albert A. Hagege, MD, PhD, and Robert A. Levine, MD, “Does the Flow Know? Mitral Regurgitant Jet Direction and Need for Valve Repair in Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy.”
Other JASE articles include a state-of-the-art review of techniques and potential clinical applications of intracardiac flow analysis, and clinical investigations on aortic stenosis, risk management in transesophageal echocardiography, left atrial pressure and function assessments, three-dimensional right ventricular strain in pulmonary arterial hypertension, exercise echocardiography, echocardiography in children, along with several editorial correspondences. The President’s Message by Jonathan R. Lindner, MD, FASE, in the Blue Pages explores, “Turbulence in the Policies and Practice of Point-of-Care Echocardiography.”