Intravascular echocardiography

Intravascular Echocardiography

Intravascular echocardiography (IVE) is an advanced imaging technique used in the field of cardiology to visualize the interior of blood vessels and the heart. This technique employs ultrasound technology to provide detailed images of the vascular structures and cardiac chambers, aiding in the diagnosis and management of various cardiovascular conditions.

Overview

Intravascular echocardiography is a specialized form of echocardiography that involves the use of a miniature ultrasound transducer mounted on the tip of a catheter. This catheter is inserted into the vascular system, typically through the femoral artery or femoral vein, and navigated to the area of interest. The transducer emits high-frequency sound waves that reflect off the tissues and are captured to create real-time images.

Applications

IVE is primarily used in the following clinical scenarios:

• Coronary Artery Disease: IVE can assess the severity of coronary artery disease by providing detailed images of the coronary arteries, helping to guide interventions such as angioplasty and stent placement.

• Structural Heart Disease: It is used to evaluate structural abnormalities of the heart, such as valvular heart disease, septal defects, and aneurysms.

• Interventional Procedures: IVE is often employed during interventional procedures to provide real-time guidance and improve the accuracy and safety of the intervention.

Advantages

Intravascular echocardiography offers several advantages over traditional imaging techniques:

• High Resolution: IVE provides high-resolution images that are superior to those obtained with external ultrasound probes.

• Real-Time Imaging: The ability to visualize structures in real-time allows for immediate assessment and decision-making during procedures.

• Direct Visualization: IVE allows for direct visualization of the vessel walls and cardiac structures, which is particularly useful in complex cases.

Limitations

Despite its advantages, IVE has some limitations:

• Invasive Nature: The procedure is invasive, requiring catheterization, which carries risks such as bleeding, infection, and vessel damage.

• Cost and Availability: IVE is more expensive and less widely available than traditional echocardiography.

• Operator Dependency: The quality of the images and the success of the procedure are highly dependent on the skill and experience of the operator.

Also see

• Echocardiography
• Intravascular ultrasound
• Cardiac catheterization
• Coronary angiography

Cardiovascular disease A-Z

Most common cardiac diseases

• Cardiac arrhythmia‎
• Cardiogenetic disorders‎
• Cardiomegaly‎
• Cardiomyopathy‎
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation‎
• Chronic rheumatic heart diseases‎
• Congenital heart defects‎
• Heart neoplasia‎
• Ischemic heart diseases‎
• Pericardial disorders
• Syndromes affecting the heart‎
• Valvular heart disease‎

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

• Accelerated idioventricular rhythm
• Acute decompensated heart failure
• Arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Athletic heart syndrome
• Atrial flutter
• Atrioventricular fistula
• Cardiovascular disease in Australia
• Autoimmune heart disease

B

• Brown atrophy of the heart

C

• Ebb Cade
• Cardiac allograft vasculopathy
• Cardiac amyloidosis
• Cardiac asthma
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cardiogenic shock
• Cardiogeriatrics
• Cardiorenal syndrome
• Cardiotoxicity
• Carditis
• Coronary artery aneurysm
• Coronary artery anomaly
• Coronary artery disease
• Spontaneous coronary artery dissection
• Coronary artery ectasia
• Coronary occlusion
• Coronary steal
• Coronary thrombosis
• Coronary vasospasm
• Cœur en sabot
• Coxsackievirus-induced cardiomyopathy

D

• Duke Treadmill Score
• Duroziez's disease

E

• Eisenmenger's syndrome
• Embryocardia
• Endocardial fibroelastosis
• Eosinophilic myocarditis

H

• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
• Heart to Heart (1949 film)
• High-output heart failure
• Hyperdynamic precordium

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

I

• Idiopathic giant-cell myocarditis
• Interventricular dyssynchrony
• Intraventricular dyssynchrony
• Isolated atrial amyloidosis

K

• Keshan disease

L

• Loeffler endocarditis

M

• Mydicar
• Myocardial bridge
• Myocardial disarray
• Myocardial rupture
• Myocardial scarring
• Myocardial stunning
• Myocarditis

N

• Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis

O

• OLR1
• Ostial disease

P

• Papillary fibroelastoma
• Pathophysiology of heart failure
• Postpericardiotomy syndrome
• Pulmonary vein stenosis

R

• Right axis deviation
• Roemheld syndrome

S

• Saturated fat and cardiovascular disease
• SCAR-Fc
• Shone's syndrome
• Strain pattern
• Subacute bacterial endocarditis
• Sudden cardiac death of athletes

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T

• Traumatic cardiac arrest

V

• Ventricular aneurysm
• Vibroacoustic disease
• Viral cardiomyopathy

W

• Waon therapy