[Possibilities and limits of echocardiography].

Echocardiographic imaging (two-dimensional and M-mode technique) with extrathoracal transducer positioning is, in addition to other echocardiographic methods (transesophageal scanning, contrast-enhanced echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound), an important diagnostic tool for determining the morphology, function, and hemodynamics of the heart and the large vessels. It is a safe diagnostic procedure and is, therefore, an important basis for further cardiac evaluation by invasive techniques. Echocardiography in general is not only of high diagnostic value for the noninvasive evaluation of cardiac disorders, but it is also often the basis for an adequate therapeutic procedure, as well as for evaluation of clinical follow-up, prognosis, and exercise performance of the cardiac patient.