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| Year : 1979 | Volume
: 25
| Issue : 4 | Page : 195 |
M-mode echocardiography
AS Vengsarkar
Department of Cardiology, K.E.M. Hospital and Seth G. S. Medical College, Parel, Bombay-400 012, India
Correspondence Address:
A S Vengsarkar
Department of Cardiology, K.E.M. Hospital and Seth G. S. Medical College, Parel, Bombay-400 012
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
How to cite this article:
Vengsarkar A S. M-mode echocardiography. J Postgrad Med 1979;25:195 |
One has witnessed, in the last decade, a surge of non-invasive heart investigations of all manner. Isotopic 'imaging, cat scanning, and echocardiography were the high points in this endeavour; they have already been recognised as very useful supplementaries to the conventional heart catheterization and angiography; in some situations they proved superior to the latter. Completion of newer projects like Earl Wood's dynamic spatial reconstructor may, in time to come, provide the apex to this new movement in cardiology.
This collection of papers serves to illustrate the K.E.M. Hospital experience in M-mode echocardiography over the last four years. The early Edlerian application of this technique in valvar disease provided the greatest stimulus; and a large experience in the subject soon revealed the uses as well as the limitations of valvar echoes in rheumatic heart disease; that in mitral stenosis it has qualitative value but it fails to quantify the lesion, especially in the severe grades; that in mixed mitral lesions, and in aortic valvar disease, cardiac catheterization may continue to play a decisive role; that the technique provides an accurate measurement of the aortic root and the mitral annulus, of value in replacement surgery; that the Flint rumble may now be assessed better with echocardiography.
Left atrial dimensions are most accurately assessed by echocardiography. It is conclusively proved by measurements of this chamber in Indian normal subjects that its size is smaller than the reported Western values for identical age groups. This should eliminate erroneous assessment of left atrial size in clinical situations, especially mitral heart disease.
Apart from its application in rheumatic hearts, echocardiography has found a vast range of applications; indeed the listing never does seem to come to an end; in certain areas like IHSS, myxomas, ventricular volume overload, mitral valve prolapse, prosthetic valve dysfunction. and pericardial effusion, it has assumed diagnostic importance. In tuberculosis pericardial effusion, experience at this hospital suggests that echocardiography may detect constriction at an early stage of the disease.
The future holds great promise for ultrasonic's. Perfection of computerized ultrasound, particularly the phased array system, will open a new vista in heart investigation, in that it will offer direct anatomic visualization of the heart akin to angiography. This may well be the major advance in this field, and it seems to have arrived already.
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