# Tiger stripe: an innocuous Doppler artifact

## TL;DR

Tiger stripes in Doppler echocardiograms are likely a harmless artifact and not linked to heart abnormalities.

## Contribution

Identifies tiger stripes as a benign Doppler artifact, not a sign of intracardiac structures.

## Key findings

- Tiger stripes occurred in 5.4% of echocardiograms, mainly with mitral/aortic regurgitation and high-velocity jets.
- Stripes were not present when oscillating masses were detected and were more visible in mild-moderate jets.
- No clinical relevance was found, and stripes should not prompt further imaging for masses.

## Abstract

Tiger stripes, parallel bands within regurgitant Doppler spectra, are often ascribed to oscillating intracardiac structures. Their frequency and clinical relevance are unclear.

We retrospectively reviewed 4,567 transthoracic echocardiograms (TTEs) in adults between 18 and 65 years of age for tiger stripes on pulsed-wave (PW)/continuous-wave (CW) Doppler and correlated with valve pathology, presence of oscillating masses, and clinical findings.

Tiger stripes occurred in 5.4% of studies (95% CI 4.8–6.1%), predominantly with mitral and aortic regurgitation jets (MR/AR) and high-velocity tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jets. Stripes were not seen when oscillating masses were present, and were more conspicuous in mild–moderate jets and higher-velocity Doppler spectra. Audible Doppler cooing sound was common; no association with clinical musical murmurs.

Tiger stripes may represent a benign spectral Doppler artifact. In isolation, they should not prompt additional imaging for oscillating masses or be used to grade regurgitation severity.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s44156-026-00104-8.