title: [Importance of echocardiography in general clinical routine practice].
abstract: Echocardiography was carried out in 526 patients on a general internal medical ward, 54.8% with a clinical indication and 45.2% in screening. The results were compared with the data from the scout view chest x-ray and from the ECG. Enlargement of the cardiac cavities detected in echocardiography (UCG) can only be found in 43% in the x-rays (left atrium 27%, left ventricle 64%, right ventricle 42%). Left ventricular hypertrophy was shown in the UCG in 43% of patients with arterial hypertension: of these, 28% had a pathologic ECG. On the other hand, only 14% of all hypertensive patients show signs of left ventricular hypertrophy on x-ray. The differentiation of systolic (44%) and diastolic (38%) dysfunction was only possible by means of UCG in congestive heart failure. A chronic pulmonary hypertension detected by x-ray correlated with an enlargement of the right ventricle in the UCG. UCG is indicated when there are clinical, ECG, chest x-ray signs of heart disease, arterial hypertension or chronic pulmonary hypertension. UCG is not a screening method.
authors.affiliation: Innere Abteilung des Kreiskrankenhauses Künzelsau.
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Rieben
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002306:Cardiac Volume / Q000502:physiology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012016:Reference Values
vernacular_title: Bedeutung der Echokardiographie in der allgemeinen klinischen Routine.