Clinical Benefits of New Echocardiographic Methods

Abstract

The main goals of a good echocardiographic examination are an accurate assessment of myocardial function and precise presentation of cardiac morphology. Therefore, some new echocardiographic methods, such as functional echocardiography, cardiac deformation imaging, and 3D echocardiography, are becoming increasingly useful. The main advantages of each method, the possibilities for clinical use, and the most important limitations are presented in this paper. Functional echocardiography enables real-time evaluation of cardiac performance, identifying the nature of cardiovascular compromise, guiding therapeutic decisions, and monitoring response to treatment. A better understanding of the cardiac function and hemodynamic changes in critically ill patients is a crucial clinical benefit of the method. Myocardial deformation imaging could be beneficial for the detection of early ventricular dysfunction, especially where classical methods are unreliable. The new methods do not rely on geometric assumptions and can quantify regional as well as global ventricular function. 3D echocardiography allows understanding of complex spatial cardiac relationships; furthermore, it can be valuable in understanding functional anatomy and help planning interventions.