Live/Real time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiographic assessment of pericardial disease.
We studied 19 patients with pericardial disease using two-dimensional and three-dimensional transthorathic echocardiography (2DTTE and 3DTTE, respectively) in order to determine whether 3DTTE provides incremental value on top of 2DTTE in the evaluation of these patients. With 3DTTE a more comprehensive assessment of pericardial effusion can be made and both the parietal and visceral layers of the pericardium can be visualized en face and examined for pathologies and fibrin deposits. In our series of patients, 3DTTE was superior to 2DTTE in uncovering mass lesions involving the pericardium such as tuberculous granulomas and metastatic disease. Furthermore, it provided a better assessment of the nature of pericardial lesions, such as pericardial and mediastinal hematomas, pericardial cysts, and metastatic disease to the pericardium by sequential cropping of the 3D data sets and visualizing the interior of the lesions in a manner not possible with 2DTTE. It was also valuable in determining the extent of pericardial calcification in pericardial constriction and in measuring the size of pericardial masses. These preliminary results suggest the superiority of 3DTTE over 2DTTE in the evaluation of pericardial diseases and that it provides incremental knowledge to the echocardiographer.
Hernandez
Carlos Martinez
CM
Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Singh
Preeti
P
Hage
Fadi G
FG
Nanda
Navin C
NC
Hsiung
Ming C
MC
Wei
Jeng
J
Chang
Chung Yi
CY
Lee
Kuo Chen
KC
Sue
Sung How
SH
Yin
Wei Hsian
WH
Aly
Nagwa Ahmed Abdel Rahman
NA
Deshmukh
Onkar
O
Biswas
Monodeep
M
Gupta
Isha
I
Sanam
Kumar
K
Sen
Upasana
U
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003199:Computer Systems; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity