title: Role of three-dimensional echocardiography in structural complications after acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) is a unique cardiovascular imaging modality in terms of: ability to provide realistic anatomical views of cardiac structures in the beating heart and possibility to visualize cardiac structures from any desired perspective. Therefore, 3DE is emerging as an accurate imaging modality for a prompt diagnosis and detailed anatomical description of structural complications (SC) of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We report 3 emblematic cases which show how both the transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal (TEE) 3D imaging can provide precise anatomic information useful to address management of SC in AMI patients: (1) detailed assessment of size, location, and morphology of an apical ventricular septal defect (VSD) obtained with 3DTTE was pivotal in referring the patient to percutaneous closure of it; (2) size and location of a complex inferior VSD with irregular margins advised against percutaneous closure; and (3) 3DTEE assisted surgeons to choose between reparative or replacement surgery for an acute mitral regurgitation due to complete papillary muscle rupture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ermacora
authors.forename: Denisa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muraru
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pontarollo
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Casablanca
authors.forename: Ugolino
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Livi
authors.forename: Sabino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iliceto
authors.forename: Luigi P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Badano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019560:Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D006345:Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D018579:Patient Selection
keywords: acute mitral regurgitation; three-dimensional echocardiography; transesophageal echocardiography; transthoracic echocardiography acute myocardial infarction; ventricular septal defect