A 41-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency room with an onset of acute dyspnea, jugular ingurgitation, and with the first heart sound diminished, followed by a grade III/IV holosystolic murmur that was better heard at the apex and edema of the lower limbs. The vital signs were heart rate 91 bpm, respiratory rate 21 rpm, blood pressure 110/60 mmHg, and oxygen saturation 91%. The chest x-ray showed cardiomegaly with a cardiothoracic index of 0.62 and pulmonary venocapillary hypertension. […]

Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiogram with transillumination (TI) is a novel 3D rendering tool that enhances specific image features not optimally displayed by conventional 3D imaging. Conventional 3D rendering lacks consistency regarding image details and depth perception, often presenting suboptimal images. Transillumination 3D imaging benefits from the integration of a movable virtual light source into the data set. The light source can be moved anteriorly or posteriorly and from side to side, being positioned at specific locations in order to highlight the […]

Learning Points […]

Introduction Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of valvular heart disease, in the assessment of valvular morphology in an anatomical manner, and in establishing valve repairability, beyond the limitations of conventional two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE). We report the case of a young patient presenting with acute anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and severe mitral regurgitation (MR) after successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the left anterior descending artery, whose three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3D TEE) revealed […]

Abstract Background: Light-chain (AL) cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is characterized by fibril deposits, which are composed of monoclonal immunoglobulin light chains. The right ventricle is mostly involved in AL-CA and impairment of its function is a predictor of worse prognosis. Objectives: To characterize the volumetric and functional properties of the right atrium (RA) in AL-CA by three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3DSTE). Methods: A total of 16 patients (mean age: 64.5 ± 10.1 years, 11 males) with AL-CA were examined. Their results were […]

Background: Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography coupled with speckle-tracking echocardiographic (STE) capability is a novel methodology which has been demontrated to be useful for the assessment of left atrial (LA) volumes and functional properties. There is increased scientific interest on myocardial deformation analysis in adult patients with corrected tetralogy of Fallot (cTOF). Objectives: To compare LA volumes, volume-based functional properties and strain parameters between cTOF patients and age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Methods: The study population consisted of 19 consecutive adult patients […]