Echocardiography in valvular heart disease.

Echocardiography is a useful new technique that allows for the diagnosis and assessment of the severity of various forms of valvular heart disease. It is a safe and noninvasive procedure that can readily be used on the critically ill as well as the ambulatory patient. Since the examination can be easily repeated, echocardiography can be used to study a patient over an extended period of time to follow the severity of the disease. With proper care and experience in the performance and interpretation, the cardiologist can derive much useful information to aid in the initial evaluation and long-term follow-up of patients with various forms of valvular disease. With improvements in instrumentation and the use of newer techniques, the usefulness of ultrasound will be further enhanced.