Contrast Echocardiography in Clinical Practice

Echocardiography has now reached its maturity and plays a key role in the clinical assessment of cardiac function. However, its ability to assess myocardial perfusion remains a clinical challenge.

Myocardial contrast echocardiography is a technique that uses microbubbles. These microbubbles remain entirely within the intravascular space and their presence in any myocardial region denotes the status of microvascular perfusion within that region. During the last few years, a large number of research studies have been dedicated to this topic. The latest developments in echocardiographic techniques and second-generation contrast agents allow for the potential assessment of myocardial perfusion and provide an accurate endocardial border delineation.

In the present book, these new echocardiographic techniques dedicated to the assessment of myocardial perfusion are described in detail by experts from both sides of the Atlantic. Tips and tricks are included, explaining thebasic concepts that are needed to understand and perform contrast echocardiography.

• Acute myocardial infarction
• Contrast agent
• Contrast echocardiography
• Coronary artery disease
• Imaging techniques
• Microbubbles
• cardiac function
• ultrasound
• Ultrasonography

From the reviews:

"The use of contrast agents in echocardiography is becoming a routine clinical tool and this book aims to help those starting to use contrast agents as an ‘education tool in this field’. … this book provides an up-to-date introduction to contrast echocardiography as well as exciting glimpses into its future potential." (Professor D O Cosgrove, RAD Magazine, March, 2005)

• University Clinic San Carlos, Madrid, Spain

  José Luis Zamorano

• Department of Cardiology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain

  Miguel Angel García Fernández

Policies and ethics