Echocardiography

Cardiac ultrasound uses reflected sound waves (echos) to create images of anatomy inside the body. Echocardiograms are the primary cardiac imaging modality used to assess the heart and diagnose or track cardiac issues. Echo is the gold standard imaging modality to assess the heart, particularly with calculating left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), which is a measure of cardiac output. In addition to noninvasive standard transthoracic echo (TTE), invasive transesophgeal echo (TEE) is also used when clearer, more detailed imaging of the heart is needed. Both 3D and 4D echo echo systems are rapidly gaining wider adoption and enable new types of assessments, especially in the structural heart space and in transcatheter procedural guidance. Find news on general ultrasound imaging.

Cardiologists and surgeons perform world’s first robot-assisted TEER
A 62-year-old women presented with severe MR and recurrent heart failure episodes. Initial data suggest the procedure was a success.
GE Healthcare launching new AI software for handheld ultrasound system
The company's new AI offering, a product of its 2023 acquisition of Caption Health, will make its debut at ACC.24 in Atlanta.
Cardiology, radiology groups urge insurance provider to rethink imaging policy
SCAI and four other major healthcare organizations signed a joint letter in support of intravascular ultrasound.
Moderate prosthesis-patient mismatch after SAVR linked to worse long-term outcomes
The long-term impact of moderate PPM remains unclear. To learn more, researchers explored dozens of different studies from over the years, sharing their work in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Intravascular imaging-guided PCI linked to improved survival, fewer adverse events in large new analysis
The study’s authors tracked data from nearly 16,000 patients who underwent PCI from 2010 to 2023. This is believed this to be the largest comparison of intravascular imaging-guided PCI and angiography-guided PCI to date.

Ultrasound societies want the FDA to remove contrast label warning

The International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS) is again urging the FDA to remove the “black box” warning from ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) labels, following its filing of a September 2018 citizen petition with the federal agency.

March 6, 2019

Devyani Chowdhury, MD, at Cardiology Care for Children (CCC) said their workflow was improved when they began using Hitachi’s new-by-acquisition PACS offering, the cloud-based VidiStar system. , they made CCC one of the first provider organizations in the U.S. to pair this particular premium ultrasound machine—Hitachi’s Lisendo 880 with 2D and 3D capabilities set up specifically for cardiovascular indications.

One Cardiology Center, Two Technologies and Countless Young Lives Saved or Improved

Sponsored by Hitachi Healthcare Americas

A family from Pennsylvania’s Plain People community, which consists primarily of Amish and Mennonite families, recently took their child to Cardiology Care for Children (CCC), a small yet regionally renowned practice in Lancaster.

January 23, 2019

American Society of Echocardiography unveils new guidelines for comprehensive TTE

The American Society of Echocardiography has released new guidelines for performing a comprehensive transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examination. The recommendations, which were endorsed by 22 other cardiology/echocardiography societies from around the world, were published in the January edition of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

January 22, 2019

Can cardiac MRI replace echocardiography for diagnosing pulmonary hypertension?

Cardiac MRI can accurately diagnose patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH), according to an Oct. 23 study published in Radiology. Results may help improve PH detection rates and enhance care for patients with severe cases.

October 24, 2018

Prior cardiotoxicity linked to 30% increased risk of CHF during pregnancy

Women with a history of cardiotoxicity from previous cancer treatments are around 30 percent more likely to experience clinical congestive heart failure (CHF) before, during or after pregnancy, according to research published ahead of print in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

October 15, 2018

Elastography, echogenicity discriminate plaques in symptomatic stenosis patients

Combining ultrasound elastography and echogenicity analysis may better distinguish between plaques in patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis than in those without symptoms, according to an Aug. 30 study in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

September 4, 2018

Left ventricle-only echocardiography saves time, resources

A group of researchers from a Veterans Affairs health system in California shared their experience with limited left ventricular echocardiography, something they believe could reduce the cost and time required for testing in select patients.

August 3, 2018

Left ventricle-focused echocardiography quick, cost-effective

A group of California researchers believes a limited transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) that solely evaluates the left ventricle could be more efficient and cost-effective in certain patients compared to whole echocardiography.

July 31, 2018

Echocardiography

Cardiologists and surgeons perform world’s first robot-assisted TEER

GE Healthcare launching new AI software for handheld ultrasound system

Cardiology, radiology groups urge insurance provider to rethink imaging policy

Moderate prosthesis-patient mismatch after SAVR linked to worse long-term outcomes

Intravascular imaging-guided PCI linked to improved survival, fewer adverse events in large new analysis