Grayburn Paul A, Mulvagh Sharon, Crouse Linda
Division of Cardiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, USA.
Am J Cardiol. 2002 Nov 18;90(10A):21J-27J. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(02)02862-x.
Although echocardiography is the most widely used cardiac imaging modality in the world, it is often limited by poor endocardial border definition. The development of contrast agents that opacify the cardiac chambers after intravenous injection now makes it possible to acquire high-quality images, even in technically difficult cases. Several studies have now shown that contrast echocardiography improves assessment of global and regional wall motion, enhances observer agreement, and salvages technically difficult studies. In addition, contrast echocardiography is valuable in specific settings, such as the intensive care unit or emergency department, where high-quality images are often most difficult to acquire. Finally, obstacles to the penetration of contrast echocardiography into routine clinical practice (such as cost/reimbursement, logistics, and education) are discussed.
尽管超声心动图是全球使用最广泛的心脏成像方式，但它常常受到心内膜边界定义不佳的限制。静脉注射后能使心腔显影的造影剂的研发，现在使得获取高质量图像成为可能，即使在技术上具有挑战性的病例中也是如此。现在有几项研究表明，超声造影心动图可改善对整体和局部室壁运动的评估，提高观察者之间的一致性，并挽救技术上有困难的检查。此外，超声造影心动图在特定环境中很有价值，如重症监护病房或急诊科，在这些地方通常最难获取高质量图像。最后，还讨论了超声造影心动图在常规临床实践中推广的障碍（如成本/报销、后勤和教育）。
