Cor Vasa 2011, 53(1-2):34-38

Three-dimensional echocardiography in current practice

Petr Lupínek^*, Tomáš Marek

Klinika kardiologie, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika

The article deals briefly with the history and development of three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE), explains its principal advantages and benefits, modes of image acquisition, and technical limitations. Current clinical applications are reviewed. In some indications such as left ventricular volumetry, planimetry of the stenotic mitral orifice, identification of the mechanisms of mitral regurgitatiton, and description of mitral valve morphology, depiction of paraprosthetic dehiscences, and atrial septal defects, 3DE outperforms two-dimensional echocardiography or adds new information to it. Other clinical applications are being studied and developed.
In addition, an overview of factors limiting more widespread clinical use of 3DE is provided. These technical problems are expected to be overcome by technological progress and improving software and by gradual spread of clinical use of 3DE in the years to come.

Keywords: Three-dimensional echocardiography; Left ventricular volumetry; Mitral regurgitation; Paraprosthetic dehiscence

Published: January 1, 2011  Show citation