The right ventricle has unique structural and functional characteristics. It is now well recognized that the so-called forgotten ventricle is a key player in cardiovascular physiology. Furthermore, there is accumulating evidence that demonstrates right ventricular dysfunction as an important marker of morbidity and mortality in several commonly encountered clinical situations such as heart failure, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary embolism, right ventricular myocardial infarction, and adult congenital heart disease. In contrast to the left ventricle, echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular function is more challenging as volume estimations are not possible without the use of three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography. Guidelines on chamber quantification provide a standardized approach to assessment of the right ventricle. The technique and limitations of each of the parameters for RV size and function need to be fully understood. In this era of multimodality imaging, echocardiography continues to remain a useful tool for the initial assessment and follow-up of patients with right heart pathology. Several novel approaches such as 3D and strain imaging of the right ventricle have expanded the usefulness of this indispensable modality.

Objectives The study aimed to assess the accuracy and reproducibility of the high‐definition blood flow imaging (HD‐Flow) in evaluation of left ventricular (LV) function by comparison with contrast echocardiography (Contrast). Background Contrast improves endocardial border visualization and assists in precise assessment of LV function. HD‐Flow, a novel ultrasound technique that enhances blood flow discrimination in LV, could possibly be used for improving endocardial border definition without contrast. Methods Eighty patients with technically limited transthoracic echocardiograms had HD‐Flow, and contrast performed sequentially. LV endocardial visualization, image acquisition time, wall motion, volumes, ejection fraction (EF), stroke volume (SV), and stroke volume index (SVI) were compared. Inter‐ and intra‐observer agreements were examined in a randomly selected subgroup. Results Both HD‐Flow and contrast significantly improved the percentage of the well‐defined endocardial border segments (71% at baseline vs 94.1% by HD‐Flow vs 94.9% by contrast, X2 = 401, P < 0.001). The acquisition time for HD‐Flow was significantly less when compared to contrast (2.13 ± 1.18 minutes vs 10.96 ± 3.51 minutes, P < 0.001). LV end‐diastolic volume (EDV), end‐systolic volume (ESV), EF, SV, and SVI measured by the two methods correlated well (EDVr = 0.97, ESVr = 0.96, EFr = 0.90, SVr = 0.77, SVIr = 0.74, all P < 0.001). In comparison, HD‐Flow was neither significantly different in detecting LV wall motion abnormality nor in EF, SV, and SVI measurements, but slightly underestimated LV volumes. Conclusions HD‐Flow imaging is feasible and user‐friendly in enhancing LV endocardial definition. This technique is useful in both qualitative and quantitative assessment of LV function.

No abstract

Background: We recently reported the efficacy of High-definition blood flow imaging (HDI) in the assessment of left ventricular (LV) function and demonstrated that the results are comparable to those obtained by contrast echocardiography (CE). The present study validates HDI in measurements of LV volumes and ejection fraction (EF) by simultaneous comparisons with CE and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Methods: Eighteen patients (age range 25-79 years) with limited echocardiographic images had measurements of LV end-diastolic volume (EDV, mL), end-systolic volume (ESV, mL), and EF (%) by HDI, CE, and CMR. Results: Using the three techniques, measurements of EDV, ESV, and EF correlated well with correlation coefficients (r) ranging from .91 to .98 in comparisons between HDI and CMR, and .89 to .97 in comparisons between CE and CMR. The limits of agreement for the inter-methods comparisons by Bland-Altman analysis (mean ± 1.96

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract