Experts in the field of 3D echocardiography present didactic lectures providing cardiologists, cardiology fellows, cardiac sonographers, anesthesiologists, interventional cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons with an overview of current acquisition and analysis techniques using 3D echocardiography.
These presentations highlight the current uses for 3D technologies using transthoracic, transesophageal, and intra-cardiac echocardiography and touch on potential applications of this technique. Novel derived techniques such as computational modeling and 3D printing are also discussed. Multiple real-world examples have carefully been incorporated into these lectures to enrich the learning experience.
In the past decade, 3D echocardiography has revolutionized assesment of the mitral valve prior to surgical and percutaneous intervention. It has also aided in the evaluation of mitral regurgitation in post mitral valve repair and replacement. Interventional procedures such as closure of atrial septal defects, trans-septal punctures, percutaneous close of paravalvular leaks, and the mitral clip have benefited significantly from 3D guidance when available.
3D echocardiography has become an important part of the clinical assessment with respect to quantification of ventricular size and function, mitral valve evaluation, and the guidance of structual intervention. From the information presented in this lecture series 3D echocardiography makes the promise to do much more in the future.