Cost savings associated with an MRI based strategy in suspected severe mitral regurgitation

Background Recent studies have shown that echocardiography and MRI are often discordant when assessing the severity of mitral regurgitation (MR), with echocardiography often overestimating severity of mitral regurgitation compared to MRI (1). This is particularly true among patients who underwent mitral valve surgery based on echocardiographic assessment and the current ACC/AHA recommendations for valvular disease. These findings not only have potential impact on patient management it also has an impact on the healthcare costs associated with mitral valve surgery.