American Society of Echocardiography Meeting to Unveil Some Cutting-Edge Research

The world’s premier echocardiography meeting at Boston from 12th to 16th June promises more original, cutting-edge science than ever before. The 26^th Annual Scientific Sessions is the main annual meeting of the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) will see 370 international experts participating in various sessions under the theme “Innovation in Technology and Medicine: the Value of Echocardiography.”//The participants will discuss topics including 3D Echocardio-graphy and New Technology. “This represents more than a 15 percent increase in scientific abstract presentations over last year,” said Neil J. Weissman, MD, FASE, ASE President, “and includes a wealth of research focused on both 3D echo and myocardial deformation imaging. The field is expanding rapidly with exciting advances in cardiovascular ultrasound technology in recent years, and ASE is leading the charge toward embracing innovation as reflected in the Society’s new three-year strategic plan.”

In a special “Highlights of ASE 2015” session on Tuesday (June 16 from 1:00-2:30 p.m. in Room 322 of the Hynes Convention Center) the following studies, among others, may be featured during this session:

• Three-dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography Derived Strain Parameters Could Assess Infarct Transmurality and Predict Functional Recovery in Patients with ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, Akinori Sugano, of Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital in Tsukuba, Japan


• Novel Approach to Three-Dimensional Echocardiographic Quantification of Right Ventricular Volumes and Function from Focused Views, Diego Medvedofsky, Karima Addetia, Victor Mor-Avi, and Roberto M. Lang of University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL; Anke Sedlmeier and Rolf Baumann of TomTec in Unterschleissheim, Germany


• Quantitation of Global and Regional Mitral Valve Strain from Real-time 3-Dimensional Echocardiography in Man: Comparison of Normal Valves with Organic Mitral Regurgitation, Sagit Ben Zekry of Leviev Heart Center, Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Israel and Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston, TX; Jeff Freeman, Aarti Jajoo, Jiwen He, Robert Azencott of University of Houston, Department of Mathematics in Houston, TX; Stephan H. Little, Gerald M. Lawrie, and William A. Zoghbi of Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston, TX


• Contrast Agent-Free Volumetric Echocardiographic Particle Image Velocimetry (V-Echo-PIV), Ahmad Falahatpisheh and Arash Kheradvar of University of California Irvine in Irvine, CA; Glenn Reidar Lie and Gunnar Hansen of GE Vingmed Ultrasound in Horten, Norway

“The quality of research at ASE 2015 is extremely exciting,” commented James D. Thomas, MD, FASE, Director of the Center for Heart Valve Disease at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, Northwestern University, Past President of ASE, and Co-Chair of the EACVI/ASE/Industry Initiative to Standardize Deformation Imaging. “I’m especially anticipating the research into new clinical applications of 3D echo and strain imaging; for instance, the study by Dr. Medvedofsky et al could allow clinicians to use 3D echo and strain parameters, rather than CMR, to more easily assess the right ventricle (RV) in a more efficient and cost effective manner. Dr. Sugano’s abstract demonstrates that 3D strain can distinguish which heart attacks are likely to recover with time and which are expected to be more permanent. Dr. Ben Zekry’s abstract shows that strain can even be measured from the mitral valve!”

Advances in echocardiography will help cardiologist and other physicians to manage heart disease non-invasively and much more effectively, providing better treatment outcomes.

Source-Medindia