Non-invasive Assessment of Cardiac Structure and Function
The Cardiovascular Imaging Core Research Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center can provide assessment of cardiac structure and function using cardiac ultrasound in hearts as small as mice embryo hearts (the size of a peppercorn) to hearts of adult patients. It provides a full service of valuable indices to allow accurate study of heart structure and function.
Because cardiac ultrasound (echocardiography) is painless, harmless, portable and readily available, it has become the leading modality for non-invasive assessment of cardiac structure and function. It is an essential diagnostic test for anybody being evaluated for any possible heart problem including:
- Babies born with congenital heart malformations
- Children affected with rheumatic fever
- Adults suffering from a heart attack
Using high frequency sound waves, cardiac anatomy can be imaged in exquisite and accurate detail. In addition, sophisticated ultrasound indices have been developed to evaluate and monitor the function of the heart in both patients with known heart problems and in patients with other non-cardiac diseases which may impact the heart's function.
Recently, more advanced equipment has made it possible to perform cardiac ultrasound on hearts smaller than even that of a human baby. These systems allow assessment of heart anatomy and function in very small animals such as mice and even mice embryos. This allows basic scientists to understand heart anatomy and function without harm to the animals.
For more information about the Cardiovascular Imaging Core Research Laboratory at Cincinnati Children's, please contact Thomas R. Kimball, MD, (tkimball@cchmc.org) 513-636-8270 or Sandra A. Witt, RDCS, FASE, (sandy.witt@cchmc.org) 513-636-7409.
