Comprehensive Evaluation of Cardiac Hemodynamics – “Echocardiography-Guided Cardiac Catheterization”

While most echocardiographers are familiar with the use of Doppler echocardiography in the evaluation of transvalvular gradients, valvular regurgitation, and evaluation of certain clinically important values such as pulmonary artery pressure, they rarely use the echocardiographic examination for a comprehensive detailed evaluation of intracardiac pressures and flows as it is done during cardiac catheterization. In this chapter, the practical aspects of such an examination will be described with the demonstration of a comprehensive hemodynamic evaluation in a patient. The information in this chapter is based on known and accepted hemodynamic and Doppler echocardiographic information and common practice. More data and references can be found in larger, detailed texts.1