Background Common carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT), a measure of atherosclerosis, varies between peak systole and end-diastole. This difference might affect cardiovascular risk assessment. Methods IMT measurements of the right…
Background Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has long been used to assess for left atrial thrombus (LAT) in patients undergoing direct-current cardioversion (DCC) for atrial fibrillation or flutter. However, little is known…
Background The overt stage of arrhythmogenic right ventricular (RV) dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) is preceded by a concealed stage with minor or no signs of disease. However, sudden death may occur in…
Background Myocardial strain is useful in the evaluation of left ventricular function using high–frame rate two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE). Three-dimensional (3D) STE allows 3D measurement of myocardial deformation, which…
Background The contribution of left ventricular (LV) twist and recoil in augmenting stroke volume during exercise is poorly understood, and few data are available describing the impact of endurance exercise…
When doing research many unexpected important discoveries are made while pursuing a totally different goal. Recording mitral annular motion with M-mode echocardiography is one such discovery. When I saw my…
Background Assessing left ventricular function is a common indication for echocardiography. It generally requires expert echocardiographer estimation and is somewhat subjective and prone to reader discordance. Mitral annular plane systolic…
Echocardiography has played a fundamental role in the description of cardiac adaptation to exercise. The ability to quantify ventricular size, wall thickness, systolic function, and ventricular filling properties has served…
Background Accurate assessment of left ventricular (LV) function in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains difficult, mainly because of the beat-to-beat variability of many echocardiographic parameters. The aim of this…
In the musical “My Fair Lady,” Professor Henry Higgins rhetorically asks: “Why Can’t a Woman Be More Like a Man?” A somewhat similar question haunts scientists interested in the assessment…
