ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN VALVULAR HEART-DISEASE

Last year alone, more than 140 reports on echocardiography and its different technical modalities (M-mode, two-dimensional, transesophageal, intraoperative, Doppler, and so forth.) in valvular heart disease were published in peer-reviewed journals. In this review we focus on selected papers that we believe made significant contributions to the diagnosis and management of valvular heart disease. Although intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography has been used for over 10 years and is widely accepted in certain clinical situations, this method continues to develop rapidly and to offer new insights into the identification and management of common valvular heart diseases such as mitral valve regurgitation, reconstruction, and infective endocarditis with its complications. In addition to adding to its undisputable advantages in the diagnosis of valvular lesions, new developments in Doppler echocardiography will add to the previously identified technical and methodologic limitations of this technique.