Francesco Fulvio Faletra

? Advances in technology and human skill have made possible percutaneous catheter-based procedures for a wide spectrum of structural heart disease. A growing number of structural heart diseases that over the past two decades would have required open heart surgery can be safely treated using percutaneous catheter-based procedures. Traditionally, guidance of catheter-based procedures is done using fluoroscopy and two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2D TEE). The recent introduction in the clinical practice of RT 3D TEE has overcome most of limitations of 2D TEE. The purpose of this book is to describe the use of this imaging modality in percutaneous interventional procedures underlying its growing role and acceptance among the interventional cardiologists but also emphasizing areas of weakness. Because today interventional cardiology ranges from closure of atrial and ventricular septal defects, to repair of mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis, from the closure of left atrial appendage and prosthesis dehiscence, to the recent use in electrophysiological procedure, this book targets not only specialists in echocardiography and interventional cardiology but also general cardiologists. General cardiologists will find in any chapter anatomy of the structure treated (i.e. atrial septum, mitral valve…), a description of the morphopathology as seen with RT 3D TEE (degenerative or ischemic mitral regurgitation) the up-to-date indications to the specific percutaneous treatment and typical and unusual clinical cases.?

This book provides a comprehensive account of the role of echocardiography in patients with mitral valve disease. The normal echocardiographic anatomy of the mitral valve is first presented, and the applications of echocardiography in mitral valve disease are then covered in detail by experts from different subspecialties in cardiology. Topics include etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, assessment of severity, and role of echocardiography in percutaneous and surgical techniques. The highly readable text is supported by a wealth of color images obtained with 3D echocardiography, currently the gold standard for the evaluation of mitral valve disease. The interdisciplinary approach used in describing the diagnostic and therapeutic applications will make this book useful for the clinical cardiologist as well as the echocardiographer. It will allow cardiologists to advance their knowledge in the field and will serve as an excellent updating tool for professionals engaged in echocardiography and cardiac diagnostic imaging. ?

? Advances in technology and human skill have made possible percutaneous catheter-based procedures for a wide spectrum of structural heart disease. A growing number of structural heart diseases that over the past two decades would have required open heart surgery can be safely treated using percutaneous catheter-based procedures. Traditionally, guidance of catheter-based procedures is done using fluoroscopy and two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2D TEE). The recent introduction in the clinical practice of RT 3D TEE has overcome most of limitations of 2D TEE. The purpose of this book is to describe the use of this imaging modality in percutaneous interventional procedures underlying its growing role and acceptance among the interventional cardiologists but also emphasizing areas of weakness. Because today interventional cardiology ranges from closure of atrial and ventricular septal defects, to repair of mitral regurgitation and aortic stenosis, from the closure of left atrial appendage and prosthesis dehiscence, to the recent use in electrophysiological procedure, this book targets not only specialists in echocardiography and interventional cardiology but also general cardiologists. General cardiologists will find in any chapter anatomy of the structure treated (i.e. atrial septum, mitral valve…), a description of the morphopathology as seen with RT 3D TEE (degenerative or ischemic mitral regurgitation) the up-to-date indications to the specific percutaneous treatment and typical and unusual clinical cases.?

This book provides a comprehensive account of the role of echocardiography in patients with mitral valve disease. The normal echocardiographic anatomy of the mitral valve is first presented, and the applications of echocardiography in mitral valve disease are then covered in detail by experts from different subspecialties in cardiology. Topics include etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, assessment of severity, and role of echocardiography in percutaneous and surgical techniques. The highly readable text is supported by a wealth of color images obtained with 3D echocardiography, currently the gold standard for the evaluation of mitral valve disease. The interdisciplinary approach used in describing the diagnostic and therapeutic applications will make this book useful for the clinical cardiologist as well as the echocardiographer. It will allow cardiologists to advance their knowledge in the field and will serve as an excellent updating tool for professionals engaged in echocardiography and cardiac diagnostic imaging. ?