Introduction

Abstract

Real-time three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography, which became commercially available in 2002, is the most recent, major advancement in echocardiography. Providing direct viewing of 3D cardiac surfaces during live scanning, it adds fundamentally new information to the echocardiographic assessment of heart diseases, and it has already significantly changed echocardiographic diagnoses. Although echocardiographic examiners are used to interpreting cross-sectional images, conventional two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography requires mental 3D reconstruction of cardiac structures. This is prone to error and can be difficult to communicate. Real-time 3D echocardiography, in contrast, provides direct, anatomically realistic visualization of 3D structures, such as an en face view from the left atrium to the mitral valve or the direct view of a multi-fenestrated atrial septum. Therefore, this gives the technique a unique advantage over conventional 2D echocardiography. Real-time 3D echocardiography allows for the first time accurate assessment of all structures and spatial relationships in routine clinical study without any geometric assumptions.