Consultant Cardiologist, University Hospital of Wales, and Emeritus Professor of Cardiology, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XW, UK.
Visiting Professor, Cardiovascular Imaging and Dynamics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. 2022 Aug 22;23(9):1130-1143. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jeac111.
Echocardiography is less than 70 years old, and many major advances have occurred within living memory, but already some pioneering contributions may be overlooked. In order to consider what circumstances have been common to the most successful innovations, we have studied and here provide a timeline and summary of the most important developments in transthoracic and transoesophageal ultrasound imaging and Doppler techniques, as well as in intravascular ultrasound and imaging in paediatric cardiology. The entries are linked to a comprehensive list of first publications and to a collection of first-hand historical accounts published by early investigators. Review of the original manuscripts highlights that it is difficult to establish unequivocal precedence for many new imaging methods, since engineers were often working independently but simultaneously on similar problems. Many individuals who are prominently linked with particular developments were not the first in their field. Developments in echocardiography have been highly dependent on technological advances, and most likely to be successful when engineers and clinicians were able to collaborate with open exchange between centres and disciplines. As with many other new medical technologies, initial responses were sceptical and introduction into clinical practice required persistence and substantial energy from the first adopters. Current developments involve advances in software as much as in equipment, and progress will depend on continuing collaborations between engineers and clinical scientists, for example to identify unmet needs and to investigate the clinical impact of particular imaging approaches.
超声心动图的历史还不足 70 年，而在有生之年就已经见证了许多重大的进步，但有些开创性的贡献可能已经被忽视了。为了探讨哪些因素促成了最成功的创新，我们研究了经胸超声心动图、经食管超声心动图和多普勒技术以及血管内超声心动图和儿科心脏病学成像领域最重要的发展，并在这里提供了一个时间轴和概要。这些条目都链接到了最早出版物的综合列表，以及早期研究人员发表的第一批原始历史资料的收藏。对原始手稿的审查表明，对于许多新的成像方法，很难明确地确定其优先权，因为工程师们通常是独立但同时在研究类似的问题。许多与特定发展密切相关的人并不是他们所在领域的第一人。超声心动图的发展高度依赖于技术进步，只有当工程师和临床医生能够在中心和学科之间进行开放的交流与合作时，才最有可能取得成功。与许多其他新的医疗技术一样，最初的反应是持怀疑态度的，而要将其引入临床实践，需要第一批采用者坚持不懈地付出大量的努力。目前的发展涉及设备和软件的进步，其进展将取决于工程师和临床科学家之间的持续合作，例如，确定未满足的需求以及研究特定成像方法的临床影响。
