[Clinical use of new echocardiographic techniques]

New applications and further development of current methods have contributed to the increasing importance of ultrasound diagnostics in cardiology. Quantitative assessment of regional myocardial function has been made possible by tissue Doppler, which is of particular importance in coronary artery disease. Visualisation and functional assessment of the left ventricle can be improved by contrast echocardiography when conventional imaging is unsatisfactory. Intravascular ultrasound has provided important information on coronary atherosclerosis and thus contributed significantly to the development of percutaneous coronary interventions. Percutaneous interventional treatment for arrhythmias, valve stenoses and septal defects can be guided by intracardiac echocardiography. Three-dimensional echocardiography may add important information to two-dimensional findings, with significant potential for clinical use, particularly in congenital heart disease and acquired valve disease.