© 2003 by BMJ Publishing Group & British Cardiac Society
EDITORIAL
Ultrasound stethoscopy: a renaissance of the physical examination?
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor Jos RTC Roelandt, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcentre, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, 3015 GD, The Netherlands;
j.r.t.c.roelandt@erasmusmc.nl
The availability and versatility of echo/Doppler has made it the most widely used test to diagnose and quantify heart disease in many different health care environments. What impact will hand held ultrasound imaging devices have on our future diagnostic capabilities?
Keywords: ultrasound stethoscopy; echocardiography; ultrasound
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
This year marks the 50th anniversary of echocardiography. The evolution of this non-invasive imaging modality has been impressive and has paralleled the rapid developments in microprocessor technology. Together with Doppler assessment of intracardiac haemodynamics, a comprehensive and diagnostic evaluation of most patients suspected of having heart disease is now possible. The method introduced new pathophysiologic concepts and has made unique contributions to the management of cardiac patients. Because of its availability and versatility in application, echo/Doppler has become the most widely used test to diagnose and quantify heart disease in many different health care environments. Cardiac ultrasound imaging continues to evolve rapidly and further miniaturisation of digital technologies has recently led to the construction of marvels of modern electronic bioengineering: real time, three dimensional echocardiography and, at the other end of the spectrum, small hand carried imaging devices.
The basic physical examination as we practice it today was introduced by
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Chambers, J., Fox, K., Fraser, A.
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