Thoracic Key

Background Catheter-based mitral valve clip repair (CBMCR) is feasible for selected patients with mitral regurgitation (MR). Two-dimensional (2D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the standard modality for evaluating MR and procedural…

Background The influence of regional right ventricular (RV) dysfunction on the accuracy of Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) assessment of global RV function is unknown. The objective of this study was…

Background The accurate evaluation of intrinsic myocardial contractility in children with or without congenital heart disease (CHD) has turned out to be a challenge. Two-dimensional strain echocardiographic (2DSTE) imaging or…

Extraordinary advances in technology have made possible percutaneous catheter-based treatment of a wide spectrum of specific pediatric and adult “structural” heart diseases. Many of these percutaneous interventional procedures require access…

Background Although transthoracic echocardiography and two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) identify cardiac myxomas with high sensitivity, anatomic and morphologic information is often incomplete. Real-time three-dimensional (3D) TEE is increasingly being used…

Background Real-time three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was used to analyze atrial septal defect (ASD) with 4 goals: (1) to determine feasibility, (2) to analyze the accuracy of qualitative and…

James D. Thomas, MD, FASE, FACC, FAHA, FESC Do you recall the first time you encountered echocardiography? The first time you realized that sound could be used to make pictures…

Wendy L. Gross, MD, MHCM Douglas C. Shook, MD As the scope and complexity of percutaneous interventions for structural heart disease broadens, the need for precise, real-time adjunctive imaging becomes…