Microbubble Contrast Agents A wide variety of ultrasound-enhancing agents (UEAs), or contrast agents, have been developed for use in diagnostic imaging. Agents that have been approved by regulatory agencies for routine diagnostic use in humans are composed of encapsulated microbubbles.…
Currently Available Second-Generation Ultrasound Contrast Agents The 2018 American Society of Echocardiography Guidelines recommended changing the terminology of ultrasound contrast agents to ultrasound-enhancing agents (UEAs) for the purpose of distinguishing UEAs from traditional iodinated or magnetic resonance agents. The currently…
Focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) refers to a point-of-care ultrasound examination that is goal oriented in a specific clinical setting. , These “focused” bedside echocardiographic examinations differ from diagnostic echocardiography in that they are performed to answer specific clinical questions that…
When a Stat Echo is Not Fast Enough Developed for military triage, POCUS techniques easily translated to use by trauma surgeons and emergency room physicians, exemplified by the development of the Focused Abdominal Sonography for Trauma (FAST) exam in the…
Acknowledgments The authors thank Drs. Stamatios Lerakis, John Palios, and Randolph P. Martin for their contributions to the previous edition of this chapter. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an invaluable tool for diagnosing and evaluating cardiac pathophysiology, and a well-performed TEE…
Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is a widely available imaging modality with an extensive spectrum of indications for diagnostic and intraprocedural imaging. Owing to the proximity of the TEE probe to cardiac structures and thus the improved spatial resolution, TEE offers invaluable…
Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has proven utility in a number of clinical scenarios, including the operating room, intensive care unit, and outpatient setting. The rapid growth of structural heart disease interventions has led to a greater appreciation of the role of…
Acknowledgment The author would like to acknowledge the contributions of Drs. Elyse Foster and Atif Qasim, who were the authors of this chapter in previous edition. The field of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has evolved significantly since its initial development. The…
Basic Concepts Four modalities of Doppler echocardiography are currently available for use with a wide variety of applications: pulsed-wave (PW) Doppler, continuous-wave (CW) Doppler, color-flow imaging, and tissue Doppler imaging. The various Doppler modalities each complement M-mode and two-dimensional (2D)…
Historically, M-mode (motion mode) echocardiography was the first effective modality for the ultrasonic evaluation of the heart. M-mode echocardiography provides an ice pick, one-dimensional (1D; depth only) view of the heart. , The ultrasound echoes reflected from the various cardiac…