Thoracic Key

Infective Endocarditis Despite advances in antibiotic therapy and surgical options, infective endocarditis remains a challenging and often fatal condition. One reason for this is the difficulty of establishing an accurate…

Pericardial Diseases Clinical Overview Anatomically, the pericardium consists of two layers. The visceral pericardium is contiguous with the epicardium and the parietal pericardium is the thicker fibrous sac surrounding the…

Evaluation of Systolic Function of the Left Ventricle General Principles Virtually all forms of acquired heart diseases may be associated with abnormalities of systolic function at some point in their…

The Echocardiographic Examination The ability to record high-quality echocardiographic images and obtain accurate Doppler flow recordings are essential determinants of the overall value of the echocardiographic examination. As such, echocardiography…

Evaluation of Left Ventricular Diastolic Function Diastolic dysfunction as a cause of left heart failure and as a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events is now well established. Diastolic dysfunction is…

Contrast Echocardiography Ultrasound contrast agents were first used in conjunction with clinical echocardiography in the mid-1970s. Early agents consisted of either agitated saline or agitated saline stabilized with indocyanine green…

Specialized Echocardiographic Techniques and Methods The basic principles of interaction of ultrasound with tissue and blood and the basic mechanisms by which an image is created were discussed in Chapter…

Physics and Instrumentation Sound is a mechanical vibration transmitted through an elastic medium. When it propagates through air at the appropriate frequency, sound may produce the sensation of hearing. Ultrasound…

History of Echocardiography Harvey Feigenbaum, M.D. Many histories of diagnostic ultrasound, and cardiac ultrasound in particular, have been written.1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 They all seem to address…