June 2013

The value of ultrasound as a diagnostic cardiac modality is in many respects unparalleled. It is more portable and less expensive compared with other imaging modalities (computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear perfusion imaging). Unlike methods that expose patients to radiation, there are no known adverse effects of ultrasound used at diagnostic imaging intensities, which allows safe, serial evaluation of patients. Echocardiography permits rapid assessment of cardiac size, structure, function, and hemodynamics. Ultrasound images are evaluated in real time, which allows rapid diagnostic interpretation in a wide variety of settings, such as the outpatient clinic, inpatient ward, critical care unit, emergency department, operating room, remote clinic, and cardiac catheterization laboratory. Cardiac ultrasound is used across the entire spectrum of patient care from in utero to the frail elderly patient. Echocardiography is sensitive and specific for a broad range of clinical disorders, which allows evaluation of a wide variety of parameters with well-documented prognostic utility. In an effort to increase the value of echocardiography even further, platforms have been developed that incorporated advanced imaging capabilities.