3D Echocardiography 2nd Edition

by Takahiro Shiota (Editor) 

The first edition of 3D Echocardiography, one of the first books on the topic, was published in 2007. At that time, the book received a mixed review from Circulation, one of the most prestigious cardiology journals (Circulation 2008; 117: e156). Their primary critique was the lack of convincing 3D images and examples of clinical use, suggesting the next version be improved with better quality 3D images and an emphasis on clinical value.

Since the publication of the first edition, 3D echocardiography technology has improved dramatically and vastly increasing numbers of published papers have enhanced our knowledge of this imaging modality. Clinical use of 3D echocardiography has grown and acceptance of this technology for the care of patients has truly come to pass. We aim that this new edition will answer and meet all the helpful criticisms of the original review with substantial new convincing content. This edition contains truly impressive cardiac images and evidence of clinical use, mainly thanks to the development of live or realtime 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

 Inside 3D Echocardiography you will fi nd a new world of echocardiography supplemented with thoroughly updated references. All the authors in this book are true experts in the fi eld of echocardiography, especially in the areas about which they have written. I hope you will enjoy the superior 3D echo images and academic quality writing in each ch apter.

Echocardiography is now an indispensable tool in clinical cardiology. Quite a few textbooks are available at medical bookstores and on the internet where you can fi nd new developing aspects of echocardiography. One of the most impressive and innovative advancements of echocardiography today is 3D echocardiography. There have been few comprehensive books to introduce this new echocardiographic method. Therefore, in this book, I would like to provide you with the most recent developments in this emerging fi eld, focusing on the clinical values of 3D echocardiography.

For a long time now, 3D echocardiography has been recognized and conceived as an ideal tool for clinical cardiology. Three-dimensional ultrasound theoretically can provide what 2D echocardiography cannot; fi rst, complete information about absolute heart chamber volumes, such as right ventricular volumes and aneurysmal left ventricular volumes. Second, 3D ultrasound also allows viewers an intuitive recognition of cardiac structures from any spatial point of view, such as en face views of the mitral valve leafl ets. However, the idea had not materialized because of technical and engineering diffi culties.

Quite recently, newer types of transthoracic realtime 3D echo systems have been developed, following the introduction of a real-time volumetric 3D system made by a small venture company in the mid-1990s. Nowadays, multiple powerful echo system vendors are engaged in this business with massive advertisements, which increasingly stimulate users’ interests. The difference between the new models and older ones, including older type realtime 3D echo, is clear. First, the newer ones provide an easier, handier, and more user-friendly means to acquire and view 3D images. Second, image quality has improved signifi cantly thanks to the advancement of ultrasound and computer technology.

Just a decade ago, it took almost a whole day to reconstruct a single 3D echocardiographic image with complicated gating and synchronization of many 2D planes. Those old-time 3D images were almost always miserable. Even after spending several hours putting the images together, it was hard to even fi nd the location of the mitral valve. Now it takes only a few minutes to see 3D images of the mitral valve, seeing the heart as if you were a surgeon in the operating room. With the use of newer systems, you can at least tell the mitral anterior leafl et from the posterior leafl et, and when lucky, the location of the origin of the mitral regurgitation. You can visualize it thanks to the improved color Doppler 3D imaging of the most recent systems. Such blood fl ow information is quite valuable and is often indispensable in clinical cardiology.

Another important change in the clinical environment is the approval of reimbursement for 3D echocardiography in patients. Such advancement in technologic and socio-economic factors has prompted clinical application of this new technology. MRI and CAT can also provide us with 3D imaging even more impressively in certain patients, such as those with an aortic aneurysm. Still, 3D echocardiography shares some of the vital advantages that conventional 2D echocardiography has over the MRI/CAT scan: portability and handiness as well as Doppler color fl ow imaging.

As you will see in most chapters, there are still certain limitations to currently available 3D ultrasound methods, even with the help of state-ofthe- art real-time 3D echo systems. In particular, relatively low image quality and low frame (volume) rate hinder everyday clinical use of 3D echocardiography. However, on-going strenuous efforts for further development of this method will overcome such limitations in the very near future. For example, real-time transesophageal 3D echocardiography which could provide stunning 3D valve motion images, was recently introduced in the literature and in clinical settings. Again, the fact remains that 3D echocardiography is one of the ultimate goals of cardiac imaging.

In this textbook, as this technology is still on the rise and not yet completed, we tried to demonstrate the potential values of 3D echocardiography in the everyday clinical setting of cardiology practice. In order to show the benefi ts of 3D echocardiography, some chapters show examples of conventional clinical 2D echocardiography with a hope to reveal the additive value of 3D information. Again, most chapters of this book are written for practical use while academically competent. Therefore, I did not intend to include massive, heavily complicated mathematic nor engineering aspects of 3D echocardiography for busy readers who are interested in the clinical applicability of this new method.

Product details

• ASIN : B00I60MW0M
• Publisher : CRC Press; 2nd edition (November 18, 2013)
• Publication date : November 18, 2013
• Language : English
• File size : 12105 KB
• Text-to-Speech : Not enabled
• Enhanced typesetting : Not Enabled
• X-Ray : Not Enabled
• Word Wise : Not Enabled
• Print length : 256 pages