title: [Stress echocardiography and its central role in cardiac diagnostics].
abstract: Stress echocardiography (SE) has an established central role as a diagnostic tool in cardiology. It is not only an established method for the diagnostic and prognostic stratification of patients with coronary artery disease but also shows an emerging value for assessment of cardiac function beyond coronary artery disease. The enormous conceptual technological development of ultrasound technology (Doppler, digitizing, tissue Doppler imaging, strain technology, 3‑D-echo and new ultrasound contrast agents) has led to applications of SE in almost all diagnostic fields of cardiology. The use of SE provides not only the possibility to identify coronary stenosis but also to evaluate the function of the microvasculature and heart valves, to detect possible pulmonary hypertension and also to test the systolic/diastolic reaction/mechanics of the right/left ventricle (LV/RV) and left atrium (LA) in response to load. Further developments of ultrasound technology enable better temporal resolution and contemporary analyses of cardiac mechanics of the LV/RV and LA. Pharmacological stress echocardiography extends the diagnostic field to patients who are not able to endure physical stress. SE represents an environmentally friendly, patient-friendly, cost-efficient and radiation-free examination method; however, SE requires extensive basic training as well as continuous training of the examiner to ensure that all possible advantages of the method can be utilized to the benefit of patients.
authors.affiliation: Dept. Cardiology Hagen, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, University Witten-Herdecke, Elberfelder Str. 1, 58095, Hagen, Deutschland. info@dr-leischik.de.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leischik
authors.affiliation: Dept. Cardiology Hagen, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, University Witten-Herdecke, Elberfelder Str. 1, 58095, Hagen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dworrak
authors.affiliation: Dept. Cardiology Hagen, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, University Witten-Herdecke, Elberfelder Str. 1, 58095, Hagen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cremer
authors.affiliation: Dept. Cardiology Hagen, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, University Witten-Herdecke, Elberfelder Str. 1, 58095, Hagen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amirie
authors.affiliation: Dept. Cardiology Hagen, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, University Witten-Herdecke, Elberfelder Str. 1, 58095, Hagen, Deutschland.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Littwitz
mesh_terms: D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress / Q000379:methods*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents
keywords: Cardiomyopathies; Coronary disease; Diagnostics; Heart valve diseases; Stress echocardiography