Two-dimensional Echocardiography — an Alternative or Adjunct to Catheterization-Angiography?

Abstract

Improvements in medical therapy aimed at delaying the progression of disease states and salvaging viable myocardium dictates the need for accurate and often serial information regarding cardiac structure and function. One-dimensional echocardiography has proven to be a useful noninvasive procedure. The narrow field of view and lack of spatial orientation limits its usefulness, especially in patients with regional wall motion abnormalities [1]. Recognition of these limitations has served as a major impetus for the development of wide angled two-dimensional echocardiography. As with one-dimensional echocardiography, two-dimensional echo is a noninvasive test which can be performed serially with no risk or discomfort to the patient and requires minimal patient cooperation. It gives direct tomographic visualization of myocardial walls, chambers, valves, and pericardium over a wide angle of view. Dynamic changes in myocardial structures are displayed in real time and recorded on videotape offering the capabilities for playback analysis and stop-frame tracing of end-systolic and end-diastolic outlines giving an angiographic-like view of the myocardium. The wide field of view and spatial orientation inherent in two-dimensional echocardiography are its major advantages over one-dimensional echo. As such, it not only allows for simultaneous visualization of wide segments of the heart from multiple tomographic planes, but enables the operator to view the heart from many acoustic windows.