Cardiac ultrasound: An Anatomical and Clinical Review

Background: The importance of cardiac examination is supported by the ever-increasing incidence of heart disease. Traditional examination and auscultation techniques may not provide the level of sensitivity required for identifying certain conditions. Development of cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) techniques has added greatly to the discipline. Ultrasound images do not only provide a means of diagnosis but allow for the development of treatment modalities and easy monitoring of disease progression. Results: Cardiac images may be obtained via several techniques; some are invasive while most are not. Transthoracic ultrasound may be achieved via several windows in different planes of view and is non-invasive. While it allows for better imaging of all cardiac structures, some parts such as the mitral and aortic valve function can be viewed best by transesophageal echocardiography, a more invasive technique. Each modality and window tend to be more sensitive to certain cardiac structures than others. Conclusions: This review discusses the different modalities and their advantages and provides a comparison to other imaging modalities.