Congenital Heart Diseases
Congenital Heart Diseases Congenital heart diseases are broadly defined as those cardiac anomalies that are present at birth. By their very nature, such defects have their origin in embryonic development….
ICU and Operative/Perioperative Applications
ICU and Operative/Perioperative Applications In addition to its widespread use in ambulatory and hospitalized patients with cardiac disease, echocardiography plays a valuable role in the management of patients in medical…
Diseases of the Aorta
Diseases of the Aorta While transthoracic echocardiography provides only a limited view of the proximal ascending aorta and a small portion of the descending aorta and arch, transesophageal echocardiography provides…
Echocardiography in Systemic Disease and Clinical Problem Solving
Echocardiography in Systemic Disease and Clinical Problem Solving Echocardiography and Systemic Disease There are many systemic diseases with cardiovascular manifestations for which echocardiography is an appropriate component of the clinical…
Echocardiography and Coronary Artery Disease
Echocardiography and Coronary Artery Disease Clinical Overview Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease encountered in adults. Its clinical presentations are the result of atherosclerotic disease…
Mitral Valve Disease
Mitral Valve Disease The mitral valve was the first of the four cardiac valves to be evaluated with echocardiography. This was due to the relatively high prevalence of rheumatic heart…
Masses, Tumors, and Source of Embolus
Masses, Tumors, and Source of Embolus Normal Variants and Artifacts: Sources of False-Positive Findings The echocardiographic evaluation of intracardiac masses is critically dependent on the ability to distinguish normal from…
Dilated Cardiomyopathies
Dilated Cardiomyopathies Clinical and Echocardiographic Overview Cardiomyopathy represents a diverse group of diseases intrinsic to the myocardium. By strict definition, they are a primary disorder of the heart muscle and…
Prosthetic Valves
Prosthetic Valves The era of valve surgery preceded the development of echocardiography by only a few years. It is therefore not surprising that one of the earliest applications of echocardiography…
Hypertrophic and Other Cardiomyopathies
Hypertrophic and Other Cardiomyopathies Overview This chapter deals with hypertrophic and miscellaneous cardiomyopathies, which generally are characterized by increased left ventricular wall thickness and/or infiltration of the myocardium. Unlike dilated…
