Written by Judith Buckland, MBA, RDCS, FASE
A Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) It is a slit-like defect resulting from an incomplete fusion of the foramen ovale within the atrial septum. 20-25% of the population have a PFO and echocardiography is often used to diagnosis it. This week we will review the 4 things needed to rule out a PFO during an...
Written by Judith Buckland, MBA, RDCS, FASE
Vena Contracta Width (VCW)
In last week's blog, we reviewed the correct way to measure the vena contracta width (VCW) This week we will review how MR mechanisms (primary v. secondary MR) affect the accuracy of MR vena contracta.
Recap:
Vena Contracta is the narrowest portion of the MR...
Written by Judith Buckland, MBA, RDCS, FASE
Mitral Regurgitation
It is estimated that over 4 million people in the United States have significant mitral regurgitation. Untreated severe mitral regurgitation decreases life quality and has a high mortality rate. With the advancement of technology, including the MitraClip, more...
Written by Judith Buckland, MBA, RDCS, FASE
Do we still use Grade I - Grade IV?
We recently received a question from one of our readers regarding grading MR severity with echo. The question was, "Are any labs still using stage I-IV for grading mitral regurgitation? I still see some reports using this grading system. Is there a...
Written by Judith Buckland, MBA, RDCS, FASE
Last month we held a 2-week survey to assess the attitudes and practices related to echo accreditation through the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. 171 individuals from 36 different US states responded. We are still in the process of analyzing the data to better understand the echo...