Abstract
This paper describes the future direction of the potential application of three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) in health check-ups, and the strengths and weaknesses of two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE). Although the usefulness of 2DE in health check-ups is widely recognized, it has several limitations when evaluating left ventricular (LV) wall motion, LV ejection fraction, cardiac chamber volumes and mass, which cannot avoid geometric assumptions. Also, the evaluation of 2DE may depend on the skill and experience of the examiner. On the other hand, 3D echocardiographic imaging represents a major innovation in cardiovascular ultrasound. Advances in computer and transducer technologies permit real-time 3DE acquisition and presentation of cardiac structures from any spatial perspective. 3DE currently complements routine 2DE in daily clinical practice by providing additional volumetric information. The usefulness of 3DE has been demonstrated in (1) precise evaluation of cardiac chamber volumes and mass, while avoiding geometric assumptions; (2) reproducible and simple assessment of regional left ventricular (LV) wall motion and quantification of systolic dyssynchrony; (3) presentation of realistic views of heart valves; and (4) volumetric evaluation of regurgitant lesions and shunts with 3DE color Doppler imaging. However, for 3DE to be implemented in routine clinical practice or health check-ups, further progress in technologies and changing the awareness of 3DE users are required.
