Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Pharmacology & Pharmacy, Cardiac function, Cardiac volume, 3D echocardiography, Segmentation, Automated analysis, Commercial solutions Validation studies, TIME 3-DIMENSIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, RIGHT-VENTRICULAR VOLUME, LEFT ATRIAL VOLUME, SPECKLE-TRACKING ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, CARDIOVASCULAR MAGNETIC-RESONANCE, IN-VITRO VALIDATION, CROSS-SECTIONAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, INCREMENTAL PROGNOSTIC VALUE, AUTOMATED BORDER-DETECTION, CONGESTIVE-HEART-FAILURE, Cardiac Volume, Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional, Heart, Humans, Ventricular Function, 1115 Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry, 3214 Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences

Abstract:

When designing clinical trials for testing novel cardiovascular therapies, it is highly relevant to understand what a given technology can provide in terms of information on the physiologic status of the heart and vessels. Ultrasound imaging has traditionally been the modality of choice to study the cardiovascular system as it has an excellent temporal resolution; it operates in real-time; it is very widespread and - not unimportant - it is cheap. Although this modality is mostly known clinically as a two-dimensional technology, it has recently matured into a true three-dimensional imaging technique. In this review paper, an overview is given of the available ultrasound technology for cardiac chamber quantification in terms of volume and function and evidence is given why these parameters are of value when testing the effect of new cardiovascular therapies.