Table 4. Regurgitation of Blood Flow through the Internal Jugular Vein Valve in 18 Patients with Valvular Incompetence after Removal of the Catheter and Follow-up after 8–27 Months: Distribution in a Semiquantitative Five-grade Scale (Raw Data)
Data are number of patients.
* Grade 0 on the semiquantitative five-grade scale represents no regurgitation of blood flow through the internal jugular vein valve during a Valsalva maneuver, grade 5 maximal regurgitant flow (as defined in detail in Patients and Methods).
† The initial reading had resulted in grade 3 in both of these patients, whereas the second reading after completion of the follow-up study resulted in a consensus-based diagnosis of grade 2 (after one reader had diagnosed grade 3 and the other reader grade 2).
Preop = preoperative study; Postop = postoperative study.