Cardiovascular Noninvasive Imaging Flashcards
Echocardiography definition
A group of tests that utilize ultrasound to ezamine the heart and record information in the form of echoes (reflected sonic waves).
What is the greatest limitation of echocardiography?
Lack of adequate access to the heart: distance, air in lungs or between transducer and skin/bone), Image acquisition and interpretation user dependent.
Ultrasound definition
Imaging technique using high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the organs and structures of the body. Sent through using a transducer placed directly on top of skin by air-free contact). Sound waves sent by transducer and reflected by internal structures as echoes and return to transducer/receiver. Painless and harmless. Displayed on a screen recorded on videotape/digital.
Where is the cardiac outline?
Extends from junction of 2nd left costal cartilage with sternum at sternal angle to apex beat in 5th intercostal space on midclavicular line.
What is the primary cover of the heart anteriorly?
Bony structures: sternum, ribs, lungs. Impenetrable to ultrasound.
Where is the best access to heart view for echo?
Parasternal view: Beneath 3,4,5 intercostal space, between 2-3cm left of the sternal border and left parasternal area.
Types of echocardiography used clinically
M-mode, 2-D B-mode/real time, Doppler (color, CW, PW)
M-mode echocardiography
1-dimentional view of heart: parallel rays/beams as depth. Represent echoes from tissue interfaces along axis of beam, mostion along single scan line through heart, time along x-axis (1s/arrow), depth along y-axis (1cm space between marks)
What action can be seen in M-mode echo of the ventricles?
Contraction during systole, changes in diameter atrial kick.
How can information from an isolated M-mode view be augmented to see more?
By changing the direction of the ultrasonic beam as in an arc or sector.
How does a 2-D echo relate to individual M-mode views?
Beam moved so that about 30 slices/second obtained.
Where is the long axis plane?
Perpendicular to sternal plane and runs from right shoulder to left kidney. Transects heart from aortic root left ventricular apex (includes aortic and mitral valves). Going through septum of heart.
Where is the short axis plane?
At right angle to sternal plane from left midclavicle to right hip
Where is the 4 chamber plane?
Right angles to long and short axes, includes both apex and right shoulder. Runs from apex to base of heart and approximately perpendicular to both posterior interventricular septum and interatrial septum.
Orthogonal planes for imaging of heart
What is doppler echocardiography?
Detects direction and velocity of moving blood within the heart.
What is doppler echo used to detect?
Cardiac valvular insufficiency and stenosis, shunts and abnormal flows.
What does doppler echo measure?
Direction, velocity and turbulence.
What color is blood moving towards the transducer in color Doppler flow?
Yellow and red shades
What color is blood moving away from the transducer?
Blue shades
What is the structure of the continuous wave Doppler?
Two crystal mounted on the same transducer, one continuously seending, other continuously receiving ultrasound.
What is the capability and limitation of the continuous wave Doppler?
Quantification of high velocity flow but cannot localize where along the scan line the flow originates. Can be used to calculate pressure.
What is the advantage of a pulsed wave Doppler (PW)?
Ability to localize source of velocity selectively from a small segment along the ultrasound beam (sample volume).
What is the disadvantage of a pulsed wave Doppler?
Inability to accurately measure high blood flow velocities-aliasing. Inability of pulsed Doppler to faithfully record velocites about 2m/s.
What does the tissue doppler echo measure?
Velocity of myocardium
How does the velocity of the myocardium relate to the velocity of moving red blood cells?
Several magnitudes lower.
What is the benefit of analysis of tissue doppler echo?
Allows for quantification of regional myocardial contraction and relaxation. But not very useful.
Clinical uses of 2-D echo
Cardiac chambers (size, LV hypertrophy, regional wall motion abnormalities), valve morphology and motion, pericardial effusion and tamponade, masses, great vessels.
What are the clinical uses of Doppler Echo?
Valve stenosis (gradient and valve area), Valve regurgitation (semiquantitation), intracardiac pressures, volumetric flow, diastolic filling, intracardiac shunts