Author Description

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the practical aspects of contrast echocardiography. It also covers all the material in the guidelines published by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) in 2018 and the recommendations set out by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) in 2017. Contrast echocardiography at present is only used in 5-10% of cases, but this is expected to grow rapidly following the recommendations of the ASE and EACVI. The chapters cover the approved indications and provide practical advice on how to administer the contrast agents and how to optimize the recordings as well as how to deal with the pitfalls. The reader will find all the information on how to use contrast agents for assessment of shunts, LV volumes and function as well as myocardial diseases and masses. Detailed protocols are included for stress echocardiography and myocardial perfusion imaging. Other topics covered include the use of contrast agents for coronary sonography and transesophageal echocardiography. Contrast Echocardiography: Compendium for Clinical Practice comprehensively covers all aspects of the clinical use of contrast echocardiography and has been written by two cardiologists who share their experience from their high volume echo laboratories. One of the authors has been a member of both the ASE guidelines and EACVI recommendation writing groups. It is therefore, a critical text for echocardiographers and sonographers who perform echocardiography.