Review
Introduction
Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) became a popular method when a miniature echocardiographic probe could be mounted on the tip of a gastroscope. In the early 80s of the last century, uniplanar transducers, which allowed for cardiac examination in the transverse plane, were used. Two-planar probes introduced in the decade that followed made it possible to perform heart imaging in transverse and longitudinal planes. In the second half of the 90s, multiplanar transducers with a
Andrzej Szyszka,
Edyta Płońska-Gościniak
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 62–65
Review
Introduction
Stress echocardiography (stress echo, SE), with use of both old and new ultrasonographic cardiac function imaging techniques, has nowadays become a widely available, safe and inexpensive diagnostic method. Cardiac stress, such as exercise or an inotropic agent, allows for dynamic assessment of a wide array of ventricles, heart valves and pulmonary circulation functional parameters. The registration of dynamic cardiac response provides completely new insight important from both
Edyta Płońska-Gościniak,
Tomasz Kukulski,
Jarosław D. Kasprzak,
Zbigniew Gąsior,
Andrzej Szyszka,
Andrzej Gackowski,
Wojciech Braksator,
Piotr Gościniak,
Piotr Pysz,
Szymon Olędzki,
Wojciech Kosmala
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 49–53
Review
diastolic dysfunction (abnormal E/e’ ratio (averaged ≥13) and abnormal e’<9 cm/s). Few papers have proposed exercise echocardiography as a relevant diagnostic tool in HFpEF. Importantly, Erdei et al. published an important paper highlighting the fact that diastolic exercise stress test should be performed with the aim of estimating filling pressure and systolic-diastolic reserve when exercising(2):
Complete echocardiography at rest
Complete echocardiography at 100–120 beats/min (submaximal exercise
Erwan Donal
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 43–44
Review
Introduction
Stress echocardiography (stress echo, SE) is a method in which various stimuli are used to elicit myocardial contractility or provoke cardiac ischemia with simultaneous echocardiographic recording of left ventricular function and valvular flow, if needed(1–7). SE is used for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease and valvular heart defects. The stressors used include physical exercise, pharmacological agents (dobutamine, vasodilators) and pacing stress, most often with the use of
Edyta Płońska-Gościniak,
Andrzej Gackowski,
Tomasz Kukulski,
Jarosław D. Kasprzak,
Andrzej Szyszka,
Wojciech Braksator,
Zbigniew Gąsior,
Barbara Lichodziejewska,
Piotr Pysz
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 45–48
Review
Introduction
Transthoracic echocardiography is the primary noninvasive modality for anatomical and functional cardiac assessment(1–9). Owing to its dynamic development, echocardiography boasts spatial resolution similar to that of magnetic resonance imaging, and, at the same time, it is superior over other imaging techniques in terms of three-dimensional imaging and functional assessment based on acoustic marker tracking.
Echocardiography uses the piezoelectric properties of crystals, whose
Edyta Płońska-Gościniak,
Barbara Lichodziejewska,
Andrzej Szyszka,
Tomasz Kukulski,
Jarosław D. Kasprzak,
Olga Dzikowska-Diduch,
Andrzej Gackowski,
Piotr Gościniak,
Piotr Pysz,
Zbigniew Gąsior
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 54–61
Review
, enabling deeper insight into the mechanical and hemodynamic aspects of cardiac function in health and disease. The use of information obtained based on speckle tracking echocardiography allows to understand previously unclear mechanisms of physiological and pathophysiological processes. The first part of the study discusses the formation of a two-dimensional ultrasound image and the speckles, as well as the technical aspects of tracking their movement. The second part presents in more detail the
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej Aleksander Karolczak
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 65, 135–144
Review
, enabling deeper insight into the mechanical and hemodynamic aspects of cardiac function in health and disease. The use of information obtained based on speckle tracking echocardiography allows to understand previously unclear mechanisms of physiological and pathophysiological processes. The first part of the study discusses the formation of a two-dimensional ultrasound image and the speckles, as well as the technical aspects of tracking their movement. The second part presents in more detail the
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej Aleksander Karolczak
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 66, 304–316
research-article
Introduction
Echocardiography is the cornerstone of diagnostic imaging in cardiac patients due to its ease of use, cost-effectiveness, and safety. However, the disadvantage of this technique is the musculoskeletal overload of the cardiac sonographer, which results in a high incidence of work-related injuries of up to 90%(1). Work-related injuries can affect the ability of sonographers to perform required occupational activities, possibly jeopardizing the quality of patient care and productivity
Sjoerd Bouwmeester,
Marloes de Kleijn,
Jan van Wijngaarden,
Patrick Houthuizen
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 78, 193–197
Case report
We present a case of double-chambered right ventricle diagnosed during preparation for colonoscopy due to gastrointestinal bleeding in a 16-year-old, mentally disabled boy with Williams syndrome. The patient was previously diagnosed with ventricular septal defect and mild pulmonary stenosis. Echocardiography performed under general anesthesia revealed hypertrophied muscular bundles in the right ventricle with the maximum gradient of 100 mmHg, causing severe outflow obstruction. This type of
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej A. Karolczak,
Ewa Zacharska-Kokot
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 71, 289–293
Review
acoustic shadowing due to its location between the transducer and the aorta. In its further downward course, the aorta runs behind the wall of the left atrium and posteriorly crosses the left pulmonary veins.
Echocardiography is a two-dimensional imaging by its nature, which is the reason of the first difficulty in aortic arch imaging: the arch and its branches along with other mediastinal vessels are three-dimensional structures that are not arranged in one plain in the chest; therefore, it is not
Wojciech Mądry,
Ewa Zacharska-Kokot,
Maciej A. Karolczak
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 24–42
research-article
– main pulmonary artery, AO – aorta, DA – ductus arteriosus, RPVs – right pulmonary veins, LPVs – left pulmonary veins, FO – foramen ovale, IVC – inferior vena cava, LPSVC – left persistent vena cava)
Since in most cases PLSVC drains into the right atrium via the coronary sinus (CS), even in 93%(7), dilation of CS is usually the first sign detected during fetal echocardiography, but it can also indicate anomalous pulmonary venous drainage(3,8). In the case of agenesis of the right SVC, CS may be
Oskar Sylwestrzak,
Maria Respondek-Liberska
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 81, e146–e150
research-article
limbs, pleural or cardiac effusion, shortness of breath, and cold skin. These symptoms are most commonly associated with severe heart disease(3). The diagnosis of tricuspid valve disease can be facilitated by using electrocardiogram (ECG), Doppler echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radionuclide scan, chest X-ray, transesophageal echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization(4). Tricuspid regurgitation is divided into 3 types which are as follows: primary, secondary, and isolated
Iqra Manzoor,
Syed Amir Gilani,
Raham Bacha,
Mehreen Fatima
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 81, e111–e115
original-paper
cardiac departments, which also feature echo laboratories, represent a large proportion of pediatric patients with vascular malformations. The diagnostic process includes cases of patients with previously diagnosed vascular ring, who are referred for surgical treatment, as well as those diagnosed during a thorough qualification for surgery due to other congenital heart defects.
Materials and methods
Echocardiography is of key importance for the diagnosis of anatomical abnormalities of the main
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej Aleksander Karolczak,
Marcin Myszkowski,
Ewa Zacharska-Kokot
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 5–8
Case report
We report a case of a 17-year-old patient referred to our outpatient Doppler Department due to clinical suspicion of liver cirrhosis. The patient presented with non-specifi c symptoms,such as malaise, pain in the right subcostal region, peripheral oedema. Until then,diagnostic imaging, including echocardiography was inconclusive. We performed the Doppler sonography of the portal system, which revealed normal diameter of the portal vein with abnormal, phasic and markedly pulsatile waveform
Joanna Ścieszka,
Józefa Dąbek,
Paweł Cieślik
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 61, 227–230
case-report
-millimeter-wide vertical vein with significantly dilated brachiocephalic vein and even more enlarged superior vena cava was diagnosed based on echocardiography (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5), and confirmed using CT angiography (Fig. 6, Fig. 7, Fig. 8). A 10 mm secundum atrial septal defect permitted a relatively unrestricted right-to-left atrial flow, and thus the survival of the patient. The right atrium and right ventricle were also enlarged. Echocardiographic signs of pulmonary hypertension
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej A. Karolczak,
Weronika Rygier,
Radosław Kunikowski,
Michał Buczyński,
Danuta Roik
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 75–79
case-report
Case report
A boy with Down syndrome, aged 2.5 years, was referred to the Department for corrective cardiac surgery of a large ostium secundum atrial septal defect (ASD II) (Qp: Qs = 2.8 : 1). The general condition of the child was good, with no signs of overt heart failure.
Echocardiography
Preoperative echocardiographic evaluation (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6) additionally revealed the presence of a wide vein with an atypical course in the posterior mediastinum. The
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej A. Karolczak,
Krzysztof Grabowski
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 76, 71–74
case-report
elevated and there were peripheral infarction foci, transthoracic echocardiography was ordered. This examination turned out to be crucial for establishing a diagnosis and directed further therapeutic steps. Echocardiography revealed normal size and geometry of the cardiac cavities, and ejection fraction was estimated at 70%. Of observed abnormalities, attention was drawn to a mobile, 23-millimeter structure linked with aortic valve cusps (right and non-coronary), indicative of bacterial vegetation (Fig
Maria Binkiewicz-Orluk,
Marcin Konopka,
Katarzyna Sierakowska-Sitkiewicz,
Wojciech Król,
Leszek Królicki,
Marek Kuch,
Wojciech Braksator
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 80, 61–66
Case report
complex (syndrome). Diagnosing an additional, hemodynamically significant anatomic defect during echocardiography was possible thanks to the detection of marked mobility limitation of the ring-adjacent part of the mitral valve mural leaflet as well as of an atypical image of turbulence occurring during the inflow from the left atrium to the left ventricle. The early diagnosis made it possible to perform complete correction of this complex congenital defect within a single operation.
Wojciech Mądry,
Maciej A. Karolczak,
Krzysztof Grabowski
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 70, 206–211
case-report
great arteries diagnosed in utero, focusing on the clues necessary to make the prenatal diagnosis during fetal cardiac ultrasound/echocardiography.
Case report
A 21-year-old secundigravida at 37 weeks of gestation was referred to a fetal cardiologist due to suspected transposition of the great arteries. She was a healthy pregnant woman, and there was no familial history of a congenital heart disease, infectious diseases or consumption of any drugs. Fetal echocardiography showed atrioventricular
Nathalie Jeanne Bravo-Valenzuela,
Alberto Borges Peixoto,
Edward Araujo Júnior
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 79, 314–317
Case report
BackgroundIn the present paper, the authors describe a case of a rare congenital defect – anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the main pulmonary artery diagnosed in a 5-week-old infant who was deemed eligible for surgical treatment based solely on echocardiography. Such anatomical abnormalities of the coronary arteries are subtle and thus extremely difficult to visualize, especially in patients in whom permanent extensive damage of the cardiac muscle has not yet occurred. For
Krzysztof Grabowski,
Maciej Aleksander Karolczak,
Ewa Zacharska-Kokot,
Wojciech Mądry,
Jacek Pająk
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 72, 71–76
review-article
Introduction
Congenital heart disease (CHD) occurs in one to two newborns per 100 live births and is an important cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality(1–4). Prenatal screening and diagnosis of anatomical and functional heart malformations are possible by ultrasonography and fetal echocardiography, allowing for planning of delivery and, in some cases, prenatal therapy, favoring the postnatal prognosis of CHD(5–7).
Cardiac function is routinely evaluated in fetuses with anatomical
Nathalie Jeanne Bravo-Valenzuela,
Alberto Borges Peixoto,
Milene Carvalho Carrilho,
Ana Letícia Siqueira Pontes,
Caroline Cevante Chagas,
Christiane Simioni,
Edward Araujo Júnior
Journal of Ultrasonography , ISSUE 79, 287–294