ASE promoting 3D echo as a better way to treat congenital heart disease
When it comes to treating patients with congenital heart disease, the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) believes 3D echocardiography is the best option available for both planning ahead and periprocedural guidance.
Cardiovascular Business spoke with Pei-Ni Jone, MD, director of the echocardiography laboratory at Lurie Children’s Hospital Heart Center and a professor of pediatric cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, about this very topic.
Jone, chair of the ASE Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Council Steering Committee, said 3D echo offers clinicians much more accuracy than traditional 2D echo. It also helps surgeons and interventionists gain a better understanding of the patient's anatomy. She said the recent release of a pediatric 3D transesophegeal echo (TEE) probe is having a major impact on how these patients are treated.
"In pediatric cardiology and congenital heart disease, 3D echo is the No. 1 trend," Jone said.
ASE is working toward standardizing both the display of images and the language used so imagers, interventional cardiologists and cardiac surgeons are all on the same page. This helps ensure everyone understands one another during the procedures and then afterwards, when reviewing any final reports.
Jone said ASE makes it a priority to teach echocardiographers how to use 3D echo technology and other new tools that have hit the market. For example, live 3D and 3D zoom features allow the patient's imaging to be simplified in a way that can to make it more widely available.
"I think that can be learned quickly so that it disseminates out into all imagers and not necessarily just those specialized in congenital heart," Jone explained. "I think there's some aspect where live 3D and 3D zoom can be done really quickly in the operating room or the cath lab to help with our interventionalists and surgeons."
ASE will focus on training in the field of congenital heart echo at its annual meeting in June and during its Echo in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Virtual Experience event in November. The two-day virtual course presented the latest information on established and emerging cardiovascular ultrasound technologies, clinical care and practical considerations in children and adults with congenital heart disease.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]