Clinical application of high speed B mode echocardiography

This study discusses the clinical application of high speed B mode echocardiography to a wide variety of heart diseases. We used a rapid mechanical sector scan at 30 frames per second and 120 scanning lines per frame, resulting in real time observation of cardiac structures. The sector angle was relatively wide (maximum 90 degrees). The tomograms were synchronized with the electrocardiogram and recorded on ordinary 35 mm or Polaroid film in conjunction with 8 mm cinematography. Heart cross sections could be recorded even in the presence of arrhythmia. We used a flat or focused, 10 mm diameter transducer made of lead zirconate-titanate with a resonant frequency of 2 or 3 MHz at a repetition rate of 3.6 kHz. High speed B mode echocardiography is a means of observing cross sections of the heart that can contribute to the improvement of accuracy in cardiac diagnosis.