title: Contrast echocardiography: experience in a clinical echocardiography laboratory.
abstract: Although 2-dimensional echocardiography with adjunct intravenous contrast media improves endocardial visualization and enhances quality of spectral Doppler signals, widespread use of contrast agents has not occurred for various reasons. Results from this study indicate that discretionary use of contrast media will enhance endocardial and Doppler signal visualization scores without an impact on total procedure duration, lending credence to an argument for a lower threshold for discretionary use of contrast media.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Arizona 85259, USA.
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Askew
authors.forename: R Todd
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Hurst
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.forename: Joseph G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hentz
authors.forename: Lori A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Rose A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schneck
authors.forename: Rochelle
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: Hari P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Chaliki
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lynch
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*