Echoing Gratitude: November CASE

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “Exaggerated Pressure Recovery during Pregnancy: A Multimodal Approach to Assessment of Prosthetic Aortic Stenosis Severity.” CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “Connor et al. reported serial Doppler echocardiography on a complex young, pregnant woman with Turner syndrome, prior aortic valve and ascending aortic surgery. They compare findings to both baseline and an earlier uncomplicated pregnancy, including mean and peak CWD gradients, indexed effective orifice areas (note: indexing is important, given the history of Turner and suspected short stature), invasive hemodynamics, and a dynamic cardiac CT of the prosthetic AVR for correlation. The major discrepancies between echo and cath stimulated the authors to write this report which provides readers with a fabulous discussion regarding the many factors that contributed. These differences were the results of her progressing pregnancy, previous valve and aortic surgery, and important impact of pressure recovery phenomenon. If you enjoy cardiovascular physiology and the many factors that alter echo hemodynamics, be sure to read all about it.”

Panidapu et. al add to this Hemodynamic Corner category with their report on how coexistent severe tricuspid regurgitation can lead to underestimating the severity of mitral stenosis. Two reports in the Cardiac Tumors and Pseudotumors category uphold the importance of echo through the discovery of a large right atrial thrombus and pulmonary embolism in a 22-month-old girl, and a case of synchronous cardiac diffuse B-cell lymphoma, treated successfully by chemotherapy after early rapid diagnosis with echocardiography. Coronary Artery Disease rounds out this issue, reporting on the methods of echocardiographic detection of a partially obscured ventricular septal defect in a patient with a post-infarction ventricular septal rupture.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, be sure to read Dr. Sorrell’s editorial as he expresses gratitude for all that the field of echocardiography bestows upon its patients and practitioners.

SUBMIT your case report to us! Whether it will be your first time submitting a case or your 50th, we are here to make it a great experience. Email us with questions or submit your report today!

JASE Call for Papers: Chamber Quantification

Submissions are due in Editorial Manager by June 1, 2025

The Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography (JASE) is pleased to announce a Call for Papers for a Focus Issue on Chamber Quantification for publication in early 2026. The issue will include ASE’s new guidelines on chamber quantification.

We invite submission of original research studies, reviews, letters, and brief research communications that address any aspect of echocardiography in quantitative assessment of the cardiac chambers. This may include

  • Technical tips and illustrations
  • Current challenges
  • Ethnic, racial, and sex differences in measurements
  • Effects of growth and aging
  • Functional/structural interdependence
  • Correlation with other imaging methods
  • Impact of new technologies
  • Impact of artificial intelligence
  • Relationship to outcomes
  • Future research goals

The guidelines document will include normal range values; additional work documenting such ranges is of less interest. In line with our core values at JASE, we welcome multi-disciplinary collaborations (e.g., sonographers, nurses, physicians, scientists) from all users of echocardiography.

Submissions are due in Editorial Manager by June 1, 2025: https://www.editorialmanager.com/jasecho/default1.aspx.
Please note in your cover letter that the submission is for the Chamber Quantification Issue.

Giving Thanks for This November JASE

The November issue of JASE includes a state-of-the-art review titled, “Advances in the Assessment of Patients With Tricuspid Regurgitation: A State-of-the-Art Review on the Echocardiographic Evaluation Before and After Tricuspid Valve Interventions.” Lead author Luigi Badano, MD, PhD, FASE, remarks, “The tricuspid valve (TV) is not merely the right counterpart of the mitral valve. It has a distinct anatomy, featuring three leaflets as opposed to two, and a more pliable annulus. Additionally, it functions in a unique hemodynamic environment, working in a volume pump rather than a pressure pump. Therefore, it requires a specialized approach and different threshold values for evaluating its severity before and after valve repair interventions. Conventional parameters used to evaluate right ventricular geometry and function may be misleading in patients with moderate to severe tricuspid regurgitation. Three-dimensional echocardiography has significantly enhanced our understanding of tricuspid valve anatomy, the pathophysiology of tricuspid regurgitation, and the assessment of right ventricular geometry and function.”

This issue’s original investigations incorporate many topics including stress echocardiography in low gradient aortic stenosis, diastolic function and prognosis in heart failure, myocardial shear wave analysis in children, and perinatal cardiac function in congenital heart disease. Additionally, there are five brief research communications and three editorial comments. These reports cover diagnosing severe mitral stenosis, applying appropriate use criteria for echo in an underserved population, effectiveness of negative pressure booths in mitigating airborne infection risk during TEE, prognostic value of echo parameters of the subpulmonary LV in adults with a systemic RV, and shear wave elastography in children with a Fontan circulation. Rounding out this issue are two letters to the editor—one addresses how guidelines reinforce treatment disparities for patients with aortic stenosis and the other describes the importance of a complete hemodynamic assessment of the aortic valve.

This month’s President’s Message highlights the important work of ASE’s advocacy team as they navigate challenges and opportunities within the fluctuating economic realm of cardiovascular ultrasound.

Tune into our Author Spotlight page for interviews between JASE Editor-in-Chief Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, and authors of recently published papers. November’s interview features Nils Sofus Borg Mogensen, MD, discussing his paper, “Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis.”

Please see the November ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.

ASE Announces 2024-2026 Leadership Academy Cohort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Angie Porter
919-297-7152
APorter@ASEcho.org

American Society of Echocardiography Announces 2024-2026 Leadership Academy Cohort

The cohort will develop leadership skills to advance their careers and the cardiovascular ultrasound field

(DURHAM, NC, October 30, 2024)—The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is pleased to announce the 15 participants who will make up the fourth ASE Leadership Academy cohort. The 2024-2026 cohort was selected from a large pool of highly qualified candidates looking to grow and advance their careers in ASE and the field of cardiovascular ultrasound.

The cohort, which will have its first meeting on November 8-9 in Washington, D.C., will spend nearly two years training to develop their leadership skills. Members will be matched with a senior adviser and receive access to high-quality online tutorials on leadership topics orchestrated by Kathy Pearson, PhD—a strategist, systems thinking expert and authority in decision making. Additionally, participants will closely interact with fellow classmates, and meet face-to-face with ASE leaders and staff three times throughout the 20-month program.

The ASE Leadership Academy Oversight Committee, led by Program Director and ASE Past President Madhav Swaminathan, MD, MMCi, FASE, selected a diverse group made up of 12 physicians and three sonographers from 10 states. The individuals were chosen through an extensive peer review process by a panel of ASE leaders and are representative of the diverse population of ASE members.

“The ASE Leadership Academy is a remarkable program designed to build leadership capacity within the cardiovascular ultrasound community. The newly selected members will acquire essential leadership skills that will not only advance their careers but also elevate the field of cardiovascular ultrasound through their commitment to the specialty,” said Dr. Swaminathan, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist in Winston-Salem, N.C.

“Ultimately, this program benefits the patients we all serve. Since its inception in 2018, 44 ASE members have graduated from the Leadership Academy and have already made significant contributions, gaining national and international recognition as experts in cardiovascular ultrasound,” he added.

2024-2026 ASE Leadership Academy Cohort 4:

  • Vidhu Anand, MBBS, FASE, Mayo Clinic Health System – Eau Claire, WI, and Mayo Clinic – Rochester, WI
  • Clara I. Angulo, BS, RDCS, MBA, ACS, FASE, Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center – Houston, TX
  • Alicia Armour, BS, MA, ACS, RDCS, FASE, Duke Triangle Health Associates, Health Center – Durham, NC
  • Sowmya Balasubramanian, MD, MSc, FASE, C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital – Ann Arbor, MI
  • Anisiia Crowley, MD, FASE, University of Cincinnati Medical Center/UC Health – Cincinnati, OH
  • Ingrid Moreno Duarte, MD, FASE, UT Southwestern Medical Center – Dallas, TX
  • Lynsy Friend, BS, ACS, RCS, FASE, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center – Lebanon, NH
  • Joyce Johnson, MD, MS, FASE, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital – Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Kyle Lehenbauer, MD, FASE, Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City – Kansas City, MO
  • Andrew Peters, MD, FASE, Sidney Kimmel School of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University – Philadelphia, PA
  • Nishath Quader, MD, FASE, Washington University School of Medicine – St. Louis, MO
  • Karl Richardson, MD, FASE, Wake Forest School of Medicine – Winston-Salem, NC
  • Jeremy Slivnick, MD, FASE, The University of Chicago Medicine – Chicago, IL
  • Parag Tipnis, MD, FASE, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health – Madison, WI
  • Betul Yilmaz, MD, FASE, Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine – Houston, TX

The ASE Leadership Academy program creates a pipeline of emerging leaders with specific talents to help them succeed as ASE leaders and volunteers, and in roles with other organizations and institutions. Their leadership skills will propel the future of the Society, which celebrates its milestone 50th Anniversary in 2025. Learn more at ASEcho.org/LeadershipAcademy.

About American Society of Echocardiography
The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) is the Society for Cardiovascular Ultrasound Professionals™. ASE is the largest global organization for cardiovascular ultrasound imaging serving physicians, sonographers, nurses, veterinarians, and scientists and as such is the leader and advocate, setting practice standards and guidelines for the field. The Society is committed to advancing cardiovascular ultrasound to improve lives. For more information, visit the ASE website ASEcho.org or social media accounts on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, or Instagram.

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A Spectracular October CASE

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “Epicardial Lead Pacer Wire Migration Causing Endocarditis in an Orthotopic Heart Transplant Patient.” CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “These authors, through a carefully investigated clinical care approach, used TTE, TEE, and CT imaging to find the source of infection in a young man post-orthotopic transplant (OHT). What they found will likely surprise you – as it did me. After OHT, placement of a temporary epicardial pacing wire (TEPW) is routine; occasionally the TEPW is left in place, and the wires are cut in challenging cases where removal is considered too difficult. For such patients, the need for further monitoring and understanding of this approach to care is described. These authors demonstrate a case of TEPW migration that resulted in persistent bacteremia and endocarditis, and remind us that OHT recipients whose TEPWs are not entirely removed warrant recognition of this possibility and the importance of imaging surveillance.”

In addition to this Infections in the Heart case, Rare but Deadly Findings offers readers two impactful reports. The first depicts a patient with an iatrogenic complication that required urgent thoracic surgery to avoid a deadly outcome. Maturi et al. then present a case of chest stab wounds penetrating multiple cardiac structures, illustrating how echocardiographic imaging (with Doppler) can correlate with surgical findings. Echo Innovation rounds out this issue with two reports that will benefit your echo knowledge. Koratala et al. provide insight on venous Doppler patterns that can assist with volume assessment and guidance on ultrafiltration in dialysis patients. Wen et al. demonstrate in-situ TEE during screening for direct-current cardioversion and describe their approach to incorporating these echocardiographic findings into their anticoagulation strategies.

Be sure to check out Dr. Sorrell’s editorial as he explores spectral Doppler and related phenomena in honor of our even spookier specters appearing later this month.

SUBMIT your case report to us! Whether it will be your first time submitting a case or your 50th, we are here to make it a great experience. Email us with questions or submit your report today!

Read the October CASE.

Echo Florida Cancelled Due to Hurricane Milton

Important Update: Cancellation of the 12th Annual Echo Florida Course Due to Hurricane Milton

Due to the projected impact of Hurricane Milton, ASE has made the difficult decision to cancel the 12th Annual Echo Florida course. The course directors and ASE staff are actively exploring all possible options to ensure this valuable educational content remains accessible to you. We will provide additional details as soon as possible. ASE staff will be processing refunds of all registration fees over the next several days. Your refund should show on your account within 5-7 business days. Attendees must cancel your hotel reservations. We are not able to cancel hotel reservation on your behalf. If you wish to keep your reservation, please work with Disney directly. They will honor the conference rate.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. Our thoughts are with all those who are in the pathway of this storm.

Questions? Email: Registrar@ASEcho.org 

CASE Sonographer Challenge

ATTENTION, SONOGRAPHERS – Do you have a great case report you’d like to publish?
Now is the time to submit it to CASE!

To highlight the importance of the work that cardiovascular ultrasound sonographers do every day, CASE is holding a brief Sonographer Challenge. The first 5 papers submitted by October 25 with a sonographer as the lead author (first or corresponding) will be eligible to receive a full waiver of the Article Processing Fee if accepted by December 10 (up to $950 per accepted case). In order to receive the waiver, the submission must be accepted by December 10, 2024, so revisions would need to be made in a timely manner.

Please share this Sonographer Challenge with your colleagues and encourage them to submit to CASE. Email Debbie Meyer, Director of Publications (JASE, CASE), or Andie Piddington, Deputy Managing Editor (JASE, CASE), with any questions.

Be-Leaf It or Not – October JASE Has Arrived

The October issue of JASE includes, “Sonothrombolysis Before and After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Provides the Largest Myocardial Salvage in ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.” Lead author Prajith Jeyaprakash, MD, remarks, “We are excited to share the results of our REDUCE pilot trial, which found that sonothrombolysis delivered pre- and post-pPCI may salvage up to 30% more myocardium than pPCI in STEMI. This data helps to provide a mechanistic understanding of the specific benefits of pre-pPCI sonothrombolysis delivery. It has also provided valuable insights for our multicenter RCT which will be powered for infarct size as its primary endpoint.”

This issue’s clinical investigations incorporate many topics including echocardiographic predictors of outcome in heart failure, ventricular strain in cardiomyopathy, postprandial and exercise echo in HCM, and sonothrombolysis in myocardial infarction. Two editorial comments accompany these clinical investigations as well as four brief research communications with reports on right atrial and ventricular strain in patients with carcinoid heart disease, perivascular amyloid deposition, indexing of aortic dimensions in overweight and obese patients, and the learning curve for left atrial strain analysis. An In Memoriam for Arthur E. Weyman, MD, FASE, shares the story of his life and many contributions to the field as one of echocardiography’s greats. Also included in this issue is a letter to the editor on considerations while screening for polyethylene glycol hypersensitivity in patients receiving ultrasound enhancing agents. To conclude, there is the annual photo spread from this year’s Scientific Sessions in Portland.

This month’s President’s Message details the goals of current ASE President Theordore Abraham, MD, FASE, for his 2025 term. As ASE celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, there are many plans in motion to propel the Society into another 50 years of exemplary contributions to the field of cardiovascular ultrasound.

Stay tuned for our October Author Spotlight for an interview between JASE Editor-in-Chief Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, and Mark Sherrid, MD, FASE.

Please see the October ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.

ASE at TCT2024

Join ASE and CRF on Monday, October 28, for a special joint session at TCT® titled Innovation 6: Disruptive Imaging Concepts in Valvular Heart Disease. Topics will highlight novel imaging concepts and include ASE expert discussion of each topic. This session underpins the essential role echocardiography and imaging play in diagnosing, treating, and monitoring valve disease. Innovative in nature, this session will provide insight of what imaging in valvular heart disease might look like in the future.

Monday, October 28
Innovation 6: Disruptive Imaging Concepts in Valvular Heart Disease
4:50 PM – 5:50 PM
Room:
 Innovation Theater, Innovation & Exhibit Hall (Halls A-C), Lower Level, Walter E. Washington Convention Center
SPONSORED by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) in Partnership with CRF®

Moderators: Omar Khalique, MD, FASE; Fabien Praz, MD
Discussants: Julia Grapsa, MD, PhD, FASE; Renuka Jain, MD, FASE; Chad Kliger, MD; Alexander Lauten, MD, PhD; Stephen Little, MD, FASE; Nishath Quader, MD, FASE;
Alternates: Lin Wang, MD, MS, FASE; Lucy Safi, DO, FASE; Laura Sanchis; Joao Cavalcante, MD, FASE; Nadeen Faza, MD, FASE; Enrique Garcia-Sayan, MD, FASE

Video game or Interventional echo? Augmented Reality and Holography in Imaging for Structural Heart Disease
4:50 PM – 4:58 PM
Mark Lebehn

Discussion
4:58 PM – 5:05 PM

Pulmonary Artery Pulsatility Index in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Interventions (67510)
5:05 PM – 5:12 PM
Guillaume Bonnet

Discussion
5:12 PM – 5:17 PM

Predicting Outcomes in Patients Undergoing TTVr for Severe TR: Role of Right Ventricular Free Wall Longitudinal Strain-Derived Pulmonary-Arterial Coupling (68898)
5:17 PM – 5:24 PM
Jennifer von Stein

Discussion
5:24 PM – 5:28 PM

Regurgitant Fraction Quantified by Liver Mapping Analysis Using Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Predict Outcomes in a Large Cohort of All-Comers Patients with Chronic Tricuspid Regurgitation (65598)
5:28 PM – 5:35 PM
Davide Margonato

Discussion
5:35 PM – 5:40 PM

A Novel Doppler-Based Technology for the Non-Invasive Analysis of Cardiac Hemodynamics (Diagnics) (69122)
5:40 PM – 5:47 PM
Zahra K. Motamed

Discussion
5:47 PM – 5:50 PM

A Standout September CASE

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “Multidirectional Blood Flow During Cardiopulmonary Bypass Mimicking an Iatrogenic Aortic Dissection During Transesophageal Echocardiographic Examination.” CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “Foster et al. remind us all of one of the very important reasons this Journal has been such a success to our Society. These authors elegantly describe a common finding during cardiopulmonary bypass that may result in potentially devastating clinical consequences when not recognized. They performed a series of basic scientific steps to solve the root cause for understanding an image that initially appeared to be an aortic dissection. In doing so, they describe the pattern of multidirectional blood flow within the aorta that accompanies bypass cannulation. Next, they demonstrate the change in Doppler findings when the bypass flow is held. Lastly, they include post-operative tomographic imaging for further education. Readers unfamiliar with this finding may be spared an unnecessary poor outcome. Other readers may use this approach as a guide to their own CASE report when they are confronted with an echo/Doppler artifact.”

A second Intraoperative Echocardiography report follows the sequence of intraoperative clinical events that resulted in severe hypoxemia during aortic valve surgery, using TEE as a primary investigative tool. In the Congenital Heart Disease category, Fahim et al. expound upon their echo findings in an adult with a double-chambered right ventricle, including excellent correlative CMR images to enhance their echo insights. The next case highlights the critical value of peripheral ultrasound with a patient whose pseudoaneurysm found on vascular ultrasound uniquely had a second pseudoaneurysm evolving from the first. Just Another Day in the Echo Lab rounds out this issue with a reminder that serial TEE is crucial after placement of a left atrial appendage occlusion device.

Be sure to read Dr. Sorrell’s editorial as he shares insights from patients on how to better engage them in the echo process, so they can feel like informed, active participants in their progression of care.

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