Stress Echocardiography - Its Role in the Diagnosis and Evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease - Second Edition by Thomas Marwick is a concise, practical guide for anyone new to the field of stress echocardiography or an excellent summary of the existing evidence base for the experienced user. This new edition includes, in the back, a CD-ROM with images; film loops and a slide presentation.

Dr. W.F. Armstrong described the first edition of this book in his Foreword to the first edition as "a thorough, comprehensive review of the basic and advanced concepts of stress echocardiography. This text represents an excellent starting point for individuals wishing to gain initial familiarity with stress echocardiography and a superb reference source for more experienced investigators and clinicians finding a need to further develop their understanding of the technique and advance its clinical relevance in their laboratories."

W. F. ARMSTRONG While stress echocardiography is not the first technique to be applied to patients for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, it represents an impor tant clinical tool, likely to become of increasing pertinence in today's era of cost containment and mandated cost-effectiveness of diagnosis. It may be the most rapidly expanding area of clinical echocardiography today. Stress echocardiography as we know it today represents the natural con clusion and merger of observations made over fifty years ago. In 1935 Tenn ant and Wiggers demonstrated that the immediate result of a coronary oc clusion, was an instantaneous abnormality of wall motion [1]. As viewed from the surface of the heart in an open chest dog preparation, cyanosis and obvious paradoxical bulging of the left ventricular wall was noted. At a similar time Masters and co-workers, using fairly rudimentary exercise de vices, described the response of the human cardiovascular system to sustained exercise (Figure 1) [2]. These two observations diverged for four decades while clinical investigation was pursued along the two parallel lines.

In recent years there have been tremendous advances in cardiac imaging techniques covering the complete spectrum from echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, magnetic resonance imaging to contrast angiography. With respect to these noninvasive and invasive cardiac imaging modalities, marked technological developments have allowed the cardiologist to visualize the myocardium in a far more refined manner than conventional imaging was capable of. Echocardiography has extended its domain with intravascular ultrasound, cardiovascular nuclear imaging has added positron emission tomography to its line of research, magnetic resonance imaging has been broadened with magnetic resonance angiography and spectroscopy, and finally contrast angiograp hy has widened its scope with excellent quantitation programs. For all these imaging modalities it is true that the application of dedicated quantitative analytic software packages enables the evaluation of the imaging studies in a more accurate, reliable, and reproducible manner. It goes without saying that these extensions and achievements have resulted in improved diagnostics and subsequently in improved patient care. Particularly in patients with ischemic heart disease, major progress has been made to detect coronary artery disease in an early phase of the disease process, to follow the atherosclerotic changes in the coronary arteries, to establish the functional and metabolic consequences of the luminal obstructions, and to accurately assess the results of interventional therapy.

Stress Echocardiography - Its Role in the Diagnosis and Evaluation of Coronary Artery Disease - Second Edition by Thomas Marwick is a concise, practical guide for anyone new to the field of stress echocardiography or an excellent summary of the existing evidence base for the experienced user. Dr. W.F. Armstrong described the first edition of this book in his Foreword to the first edition as "a thorough, comprehensive review of the basic and advanced concepts of stress echocardiography. This text represents an excellent starting point for individuals wishing to gain initial familiarity with stress echocardiography and a superb reference source for more experienced investigators and clinicians finding a need to further develop their understanding of the technique and advance its clinical relevance in their laboratories."

Strain imaging (also known as speckle-tracking echocardiography or STE) is a rapidly growing, affordable, and versatile cardiac imaging technology of great interest to clinicians in both inpatient and outpatient settings. ASE's Comprehensive Strain Imaging is the first reference designed to help you master a wide range of strain imaging/STE applications, including screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow up. Written and edited by a team of international experts from the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), this new resource provides the information you need to optimize imaging acquisition and analysis using this important new echocardiography method. Covers step-by-step techniques on how to use strain imaging with expert tips on nuances,  pitfalls, and clinical decision making.  Discusses the growing range of strain imaging applications for assessing diastolic function, atrial function, heart failure, arterial disease, valve disease, hypertrophy, and other common cardiovascular conditions.    Provides up-to-date information on screening and follow up of patients who receive cardio-toxic oncologic agents during cancer treatment and evaluation of patients with cardiomyopathy, heart failure, arterial disease, valve disease, implantable pacemakers, pericardial disease, hypertrophy, ischemic disease, and chest radiation.  Includes more than 150 images using the latest strain imaging technology, as well as videos that depict evaluation and monitoring of patients with cardiomyopathies.  Addresses future applications, including elastography.  Enhanced eBook version included with purchase. Your enhanced eBook allows you to access all of the text, figures, and references from the book on a variety of devices.

This is a book which offers practical advice about the performance and interpretation of stress echocardiography. Illustrations are offered to assist with learning the process of interpretation. The author has a broad background in non-invasive testing for coronary disease. Much effort has been directed towards discussion of the selection of appropriate stressors for different situations, and the comparison of stress echocardiography with other imaging techniques. Newer indications for the technique are also discussed.