[Value of echocardiography in cardiovascular emergencies (not including congenital cardiopathies)].

The principal echocardiographic features of the main cardiovascular emergencies are discussed. After setting out a method of detailed analysis for echocardiography, the changes found in the main causes of severe chest pain, systemic embolisation and sudden heart failure are described. Special emphasis is laid on the signs of aortic root dissection, pericarditis and tamponade, ruptured valve, the mechanical complications of acute myocardial infarction and, in particular, on the assessment of residual myocardial function. Finally, the authors maintain that echocardiography should be a systematic complementary investigation for patients in the coronary care unit.