DYNAMIC 3-DIMENSIONAL TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY USING A COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC IMAGING PROBE - CLINICAL POTENTIAL AND LIMITATION

Dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography is a new diagnostic tool fo r spatial visualisation of cardiac anatomy and volumetric assessment. A computer-controlled probe acquires parallel tomographic slices, from which dynamic three-dimensional images of the heart can be reconstruc ted. Thirty adult patients with valvular heart diseases, congenital he art diseases, intracardiac masses, heart failure and other cardiac les ions, underwent conventional two-dimensional (n = 30), three-dimension al echocardiography (n = 30) and thermodilution (n = 17). The feasibil ity, usefulness and possibility of simulating a surgical view of intra cardiac anatomy and exact volumetry were determined. The two different morphologic images were compared qualitatively. For quantitative anal ysis volumetry was performed using standard thermodilution technique a nd dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography. In more than 80% of the patients additional morphologic information was gained and a strong c orrelation (r = 0.75-0.95) between two volumetry assessments was found . Based on this findings, dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography i s an additional and valuable approach in the perioperative and intensi ve care management in this group of patients.