New developments in functional cardiac imaging

Ultrasound imaging has been the modality of choice for the non-invasive assessment of cardiac function due to its real-time capacity, its fair image quality, its mobility and because it is relatively cheap. Traditionally, M- or B-mode derived volume-changes are measured to assess systolic function while blood flow patterns measured using Doppler techniques are used as an index for diastolic function.Technological developments in ultrasound imaging have resulted in new methodologies for the quantification of cardiac function. In general, these methods can be categorized into approaches assessing properties of the myocardium and approaches assessing characteristics of the blood flow. In this review lecture, ultrasound imaging techniques will be presented from a technical point of view together with the experimental validation and/or clinical findings already available. Pros and contras of the approaches will be discussed.