Expert stresses role of echo-cardiography in assessing heart disease

Expert stresses role of echo-cardiography in assessing heart disease By KUNA Team (with photos) KUWAIT, April 11 (KUNA) -- Echo-cardiography is the work-horse of everyday assessment and evaluation of heart disease patients, said a medical expert on Wednesday.
Speaking to Kuwait news Agency (KUNA) on the sidelines of the Pan Gulf Cardiovascular Summit which kicked off on Tuesday, Dr. Jamil Tajik, Thomas J. Watson Jr. Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, explained that echo-cardiography is the use of harmless ultrasound waves to record the structure, function and the pressures inside the heart chambers across the hearts valves.
"In cardiology, we are witnessing a tremendous revolution in multi-modality cardiovascular imaging" and echo-cardiography is the best measure when compared to CT scans, Cardiac MRI and PET scan.
Nowadays, he said, there is advanced heart failure, so cardiac resynchronization therapy is absolutely mandatory in some of these cases and echo-cardiography is used to determine patients who will benefit from the synchronization therapy.
In addition, Tajik explained details relevant to the "golden moment" of when should a patient be operated on which is a "very crucial, tricky and challenging question." He said the best time to operate is "Not too soon not too late and echo-cardiography helps in assessing how many milliliters of blood is leaking across different heart valves. We can then identify these patients into different categories of low, intermediate and high risk." Tajik is participating in the forum with two lectures entitled "Analysis of LV Structure and Function: Back to the Future!" and "Asymptomatic Severe Mitral Regurgitation and Aortic Regurgitation 2007: Operation vs. Watchful Waiting?" The three-day forum is the Fifth Gulf Heart Association (GHA) and the First Kuwait Cardiac Society (KCS) Annual Meeting.
With the participation of over 300 health professionals from Kuwait, as well as 120-150 cardiologists from other states, the forum includes an exhibition grouping a number of medical and pharmaceutical firms.(pick up previous) kt KUNA 111935 Apr 07NNNN