Does ultrasonic cardiography accurately diagnose and grade structural heart abnormalities?
Ultrasonic cardiography is a valuable diagnostic tool for evaluating the motion of heart structures and detecting conditions such as mitral stenosis and pericardial effusion.
The UCG is the motion curve of different heart structures. It permits highly accurate grading of mitral stenosis with or without coexisting insufficiency. Except examination of calcified valves by X-ray films there is no other means of recording the movement of the mitral cusps. In some cases the motion of the tricuspid valve and in exceptional cases that of the aortic valves can be registered. Atrial tumours are rarities, they produce a characteristic echogram. It is possible to detect pericardial effusion.
Effert et al. (Tue,) studied this question.