**Meet the editor**

Dr. Gani Bajraktari graduated in Medicine at the University of Prishtina (Kosovo) in 1990 and completed his specialization in cardiology at the Second Clinic of Cardiology, University Clinical Center "Mother Teresa", Tirana (Albania), in 1997. He finished his postgraduate studies, defending the Master's thesis at Medical Faculty of Zagreb (Croatia) in 2000, in the field of stress-echocardiography, whereas

he defended his doctoral thesis in 2002, at Medical Faculty of the University of Prishtina. He finished his PhD studies at Semelweis University in Budapest (Hungary), defending the Ph.D. thesis in 2007. In two mandates (2001-2003 and 2007-2009) he was the director of Internal Medicine Clinic, University Clinical Centre of Kosova, Prishtina. He was elected as Professor of Internal Medicine - Cardiology at Medical Faculty in 2006, whereas in 2009, he was elected as Dean of Medical Faculty, University of Prishtina.His clinical and research interests include echocardiography, diastology, diabetes and heart failure. He published 30 articles in these fields. He is the author of three books. Dr. Bajraktari is a Fellow of European Society of Cardiology and a Fellow of American College of Cardiology.

Contents

**Preface IX** 

Chapter 3 **Speckle Reduction in** 

**Part 1 Spackle Tracking Echocardiography 1** 

Chapter 1 **Assessment of Regional Longitudinal Stain by Using** 

Reisner Shimon, Beyar Rafael and Adam Dan

Chapter 2 **Strain Measurements Relative to Normal State Enhance the** 

**Echocardiography: Trends and Perceptions 41** 

Arezou Akbarian Azar, Hasan Rivaz and Emad M. Boctor

**Echocardiography Using an Incompressibility Constraint 85** 

**Part 2 New Techniques in Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography 83** 

Seán Finn, Martin Glavin and Edward Jones

Chapter 4 **Speckle Detection in Echocardiographic Images 69** 

**2-D Transthoracic Echocardiography 103** 

**in Visualization of the Coronary Arteries** 

Yasushige Shingu, Suguru Kubota and Yoshiro Matsui

**and Assessment of Coronary Flow Reserve 113**  Yasser Baghdady, Hussein Hishmat and Heba Farook

Chapter 5 **Automated Segmentation of Real-Time 3D** 

Yun Zhu, Xenophon Papademetris, Albert Sinusas and James Duncan

Chapter 6 **Evaluation of Subvalvular Apparatus by** 

Chapter 7 **Role of Transthoracic Echocardiography** 

Noa Bachner-Hinenzon, Offir Ertracht, Zvi Vered, Marina Leitman, Nir Zagury, Ofer Binah and Dan Adam

**Speckle Tracking Echocardiography – A Validation Study 3**  Vitek Nili, Bachner-Hinenzon Noa, Lempel Meytal, Friedman Zvi,

**Ability to Detect Non-Transmural Myocardial Infarction 25** 

### Contents

#### **Preface XI**

	- **Part 2 New Techniques in Trans-Thoracic Echocardiography 83**
	- **Part 3 Fetal Imagine Techniques 145**

### Preface

Echocardiography, as an integral part of clinical cardiology, is playing an increasingly important role in routine examinations of all cardiac patients. Echocardiography targets not only the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, but also clinical decision making, follow-up, and predicting cardiac events in patients. Despite the development of other competitive imaging techniques in the past few decades, echocardiography remains the gold standard for clinical examinations in cardiology.

The book *Echocardiography – New Techniques* brings worldwide contributions from highly acclaimed clinical and imaging science investigators, and representatives from academic medical centers. Each chapter is designed and written to be accessible to those with a basic knowledge of echocardiography. Additionally, the chapters are meant to be stimulating and educational to the experts and investigators in the field of echocardiography. This book is aimed primarily at cardiology fellows on their basic echocardiography rotation, fellows in general internal medicine, radiology and emergency medicine, and experts in the arena of echocardiography.

Over the last few decades, the rate of technological advancements has developed dramatically, resulting in new techniques and improved echocardiographic imaging. The authors of this book focused on presenting the most advanced techniques useful in today's research and in daily clinical practice. The advanced techniques are utilized in the detection of different cardiac pathologies in patients, in contributing to their clinical decision, as well as follow-up and outcome predictions. In addition to the advanced techniques covered, this book expounds upon several special pathologies with respect to the functions of echocardiography.

Finally, it is our hope that future decades will bring even greater advances in this field, and that this book will motivate other scientists toward future developments. We hope scientists will make use of these echo modalities for implementation in their daily practice, for the development of new future techniques, and for the better assessment of heart structure and its function. Collectively, we hope that this book will contribute to the improved treatment of patients.

#### X Preface

I would like to thank all of the authors for their valuable contributions. I would also like to thank the staff at InTech, particularly Gorana Scerbe, who answered all of my questions and kept me on track during the entire process.

#### **Prof.Asoc. Gani Bajraktari, MD, MSc, PhD, FESC, FACC**

Service of Cardiology, Internal Medicine Clinic, University Clinical Centre of Kosova, Prishtina Republic of Kosovo

X Preface

I would like to thank all of the authors for their valuable contributions. I would also like to thank the staff at InTech, particularly Gorana Scerbe, who answered all of my

**Prof.Asoc. Gani Bajraktari, MD, MSc, PhD, FESC, FACC** 

Service of Cardiology, Internal Medicine Clinic, University Clinical Centre of Kosova, Prishtina

Republic of Kosovo

questions and kept me on track during the entire process.

**Part 1** 

**Spackle Tracking Echocardiography** 
