The interatrial septum can contain defects, like a patent foramen ovale or primum or secundum atrial septal defects. How do you distinguish between an ultrasound artifact and a real defect? What is the role of Doppler ultrasound in diagnosing septal defects? Can the appearance of the right heart provide any clues? In this video, Cristiana Monteiro—a cardiac physiologist from the University of Oxford—explains the anatomy behind septal defects and how to diagnose them using ultrasound.

Right ventricular failure is caused by left ventricular failure, heart attack, or hereditary right heart diseases. What are the echocardiography signs of systolic dysfunction in the right ventricle? How is the tricuspid anulus supposed to move in a healthy heart? What about the free wall of the right ventricle? In this video, Cristiana Monteiro—a cardiac physiologist from the University of Oxford—shares her expert approach to right heart echo.

Measuring the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) with echocardiography is a great way to recognize dilation of the right ventricle. Which views should you use for measurement? Which dimensions should you measure? How can you recognize right ventricular hypertrophy? In this video, Cristiana Monteiro – a cardiac physiologist from the University of Oxford – shares her expert approach to right-heart echo.

There are some findings on a Holter monitor recording you expect, for example atrial fibrillation or premature ventricular complexes (PVCs). How do you report on it in clear and precise language? Our expert highlights common findings and reviews terms you should use to describe them.

The patient comes back with a completed Holter monitor recording. How do you get started reviewing hours of ECG records? To what extent can you trust the analyzer software? Our expert explains the cornerstones of Holter interpretation, including finding the baseline ECG rhythm, looking for pauses, brady- and tachycardias, and reviewing fragments associated with symptomatic episodes.

Would an event recorder, a smartwatch, or even an implantable device be a better fit for your patient?

You can apply strain imaging echocardiography to assess if your cancer patient is suffering from cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic agents. If the global longitudinal strain (GLS) values increase above a certain level, it’s high time you let the oncologist in charge know.

How do you recognize myocardial infarction or heart valve disease using strain imaging echocardiography? You have to take a good look at the strain graph and the bull’s-eye plot. There’s even a way to assess hypertrophy of the left ventricle with this ultrasound modality.

The bull’s-eye plot, much like the strain graph, is a visualized version of data collected from strain imaging echocardiography. It gives you information on how well segments of the left ventricle wall contract. The contractility is depicted both as colors and global longitudinal strain (GLS) values.

Tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking, also called strain imaging, are both ultrasound modalities used to assess left ventricle myocardial function. Speckle tracking has only gained popularity recently and not everyone knows how it works.