[Importance of echocardiography in general clinical routine practice]

Echocardiography was carried out in 526 patients on a general internal medical ward, 54.8% with a clinical indication and 45.2% in screening. The results were compared with the data from the scout view chest x-ray and from the ECG. Enlargement of the cardiac cavities detected in echocardiography (UCG) can only be found in 43% in the x-rays (left atrium 27%, left ventricle 64%, right ventricle 42%). Left ventricular hypertrophy was shown in the UCG in 43% of patients with arterial hypertension: of these, 28% had a pathologic ECG. On the other hand, only 14% of all hypertensive patients show signs of left ventricular hypertrophy on x-ray. The differentiation of systolic (44%) and diastolic (38%) dysfunction was only possible by means of UCG in congestive heart failure. A chronic pulmonary hypertension detected by x-ray correlated with an enlargement of the right ventricle in the UCG. UCG is indicated when there are clinical, ECG, chest x-ray signs of heart disease, arterial hypertension or chronic pulmonary hypertension. UCG is not a screening method.