Ultrasound examinations of the heart and major peripheral arteries have bee
n performed as separate procedures; both potentially limited by suboptimal
views in certain subjects and the inability to obtain ideal pictures of par
ticular intracardiac structures. Transvenous ultrasound may offer new advan
tages in certain areas, we therefore studied six adult baboons using a sing
le-plane 5.5-10 MHz transducer mounted on a 10 French (10F) catheter, intro
duced via the right femoral vein and positioned under fluoroscopic control.
Imaging and Doppler studies were performed to delineate cardiovascular ana
tomy as well as ventricular function response to positive (dobutamine) and
negative inotropic (esmolol) agents. The procedure was safe and feasible in
all cases. Clear and novel two-dimensional and flow information were obtai
ned from the iliac arteries, descending aorta, both renal artery origins. a
scending aorta, including the aortic arch, main pulmonary artery and its bi
furcation, as well as head and neck vessels. Novel intracardiac views were
obtained, including right ventricular long axis, left ventricular apex and
'flask' views of the left ventricle. Excellent dynamic information for left
ventricular function was also available [e.g. myocardial V-max of the ante
rior left ventricular wall was 6.8+/-2.5 cm/s at rest, 14.6+/-5.5 cm/s afte
r dobutamine (P = 0.009) and 4.5+/-1 cm/s after esmolol (P = 0.03 compared
with control)]. We conclude that, in adult primates, transvenous ultrasound
safely and reliably provides novel information of cardiovascular structure
and function.