Basic M-Mode Echocardiography. Second Edition

would serve this purpose for most non-specialists. The index (which must be difficult to compile in a biochemistry text) is excellent. I am not saying that this book should grace every bookshelf in the land, but for those at any stage of their careers who want a good grounding in biochemistry, this text, written by an experienced teacher, is worth the price. Auscultation and electrocardiography both non-invasively provide extensive information on the functioning of the heart. As for direct visualization of the mechanical actions of the organ, angiocardiography and echocardiography both provide very useful imaging. With its accessibility at bedside or office, and its non-invasive, non-toxic properties, ultrasound is excellently suited for the purpose. Although two-dimensional echocardiography is coming into much wider use, with its potential for giving even more information, M-mode echocardiography provides the basis for the two-dimensional technique and undoubtedly will remain widely used in its own right. As just a few examples of the particular usefulness of ultra-sound, abnormal motion of the ventricular walls or, particularly, of the intraven-tricular septum in coronary artery disease and the presence and extent of pericardial effusions are best examined by echocardiography; the prevalence of mitral leaflet prolapse (Barlow syndrone) was little appreciated before the widespread use of ultrasound. This second edition of Basic M-Mode Echocardiography by Siegfried Kra expands on the well-received first edition with added information on applications and uses. Though somewhat longer than its predecessor, it still remains brief and easy to read, is well-referenced, and is extensively supplemented with diagrams and tracings. In order not to interrupt the text, the figures are placed at the end of each chapter, which leads to a great deal of turning back and forth. Aside from this slight inconvenience , the book is a delight to read. The volume is loosely divided into three sections. The first covers the basic principles of-ultrasonography and includes an excellent analysis of some of the technical limitations of the modality and some of the artifacts which might result. The second section deals with each of the cardiac structures-valves, chambers, septum, pericardium-and explains in detail the anatomy and corresponding echocar-diography; it then discusses the pathology of the structure with step-by-step procedures for analyzing tracings. The final section considers a number of specific diseases and their associated ultrasound patterns, including cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, congenital heart disease, endocarditis, atrial myxoma, collagen disease, metabolic disease, and the aging heart. …