Uses for 2D Echo:- Structural imaging of the pericardium (eg, to exclude pericardial effusion)- Structural imaging of the left or right ventricle and their cavities (eg, to evaluate ventricular hypertrophy, dilatation, or wall motion abnormality; to visualize thrombi)- Structural imaging of the valves (eg, mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis, mitral valve prolapse)- Structural imaging of the great vessels (eg, aortic dissection)- Structural imaging of atria and septa between cardiac chambers (eg, congenital heart disease, traumatic heart disease)
Clinical Significance
Echocardiography uses ultrasound waves to produce an image of the heart, the heart valves, and the great vessels. It helps assess heart wall thickness (eg, in hypertrophy or atrophy) and motion and provides information about ischemia and infarction. It can be used to assess systolic function as well as diastolic filling patterns of the left ventricle, which can help in the assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertrophic or restrictive cardiomyopathy, severe heart failure, and constrictive pericarditis. It also is used to assess the structure and function of the heart valves; detect valvular vegetations and intracardiac thrombus; and provide an estimate of pulmonary arterial pressure and central venous pressure.