Full performance of modern echocardiography within the heart: in-vivo feasibility study with a new intracardiac, phased-array ultrasound-tipped catheter.
BACKGROUND
Intracardiac echocardiography with full performance of high-resolution two-dimensional-, M-mode-, colour, pulsed and continuous wave Doppler and Doppler tissue imaging has not been previously demonstrated.


OBJECTIVE
This first European in-vivo study was designed to determine the utility and feasibility of a new ultrasound-tipped catheter for intravascular and intracardiac echocardiography.


METHODS
The miniaturized, multi-modal, multiple-frequency (5-10MHz) transducer tipped 10Fr (3.3mm) catheter was tested in five anaesthetized mongrel dogs linked to a standard echocardiographic platform. The catheter was introduced through an 11 Fr femoral venous sheath into the inferior vena cava and right heart chambers and the pulmonary artery under limited fluoroscopic and catheter ultrasound guidance.


RESULTS
Abdominal and thoracic aorta as well as their branches, both ventricles and atrias with their appendices, all valves, pulmonary arteries and all veins could be visualized with excellent quality. All Doppler signals and the determined haemodynamics, global and regional wall motion and Doppler tissue imaging were of high diagnostic quality. Coronary flow reserve could also be determined.


CONCLUSIONS
Intracardiac echocardiography is feasible and potentially useful for assessing functional and morphological disorders, and probably for the guidance of interventional procedures as well as monitoring of cardiac function. A new window to the heart has been opened.
Caspari
G H
GH
Department of Cardiology, Division of Internal Medicine, University of Essen, Germany.
Müller
S
S
Bartel
T
T
Koopmann
J
J
Erbel
R
R
D000818:Animals; D006328:Cardiac Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004285:Dogs; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color / Q000295:instrumentation; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D007089:Image Enhancement; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation; D023421:Models, Animal; D008955:Models, Cardiovascular; D009426:Netherlands; D018084:Ultrasonography, Interventional / Q000295:instrumentation