Articles

Echocardiographic Pattern of Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Analysis of 511 Consecutive Patients

It has long been said that echo can suggest the diagnosis of PE but should not be relied upon unless a mobile thrombus in transit is visualized. Here the authors retrospectively sought to investigate the likelihood of having a suggestive echocardiographic sign of PE in patients who experienced documented PE. Read more

En Face View of the Mitral Valve: Definition and Acquisition

Since its introduction in 1993, various 3d TEE imaging modes have become invaluable to the intraoperative planning of mitral valve repair. Perhaps the most valuable view of the mitral valve in this setting is known as the "en face" or "surgeon's" view. This view closely resembles what the surgeon sees when he or she approaches the mitral valve via a left atrial incision. Although this view is widely used and described, standardized definitions of what comprised it were lacking. In this technical communication, Mahmood et al. propose a standardized definition of the en face view of the mitral valve and some considerations in modes of 3d acquisition. Read more

Early Assessment of Strain Echocardiography Can Accurately Exclude Significant Coronary Artery Stenosis in Suspected Non-ST-Segment Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome

​Acute coronary syndrome is responsible for up to 25% of hospital admissions and the standard workup of repeated sets of cardiac enzymes, ECGs, stress testing, and angiography is time consuming and costly. Identifying patients at low risk and discharging them early would be ideal. The authors hypothesize that myocardial strain may have a role in NSTE-ACS evaluation by pinpointing who is low risk and sparing them unnecessary hospital stays and testing. Read more