Review of The EAE Textbook of Echocardiography by Leda Galiuto et al.

textbook of the European Association of Echocardiography and is jointly sponsored by the European Society of Cardiology. Th e editors were able to attract a team of 50 expert cardiologist echocardiographists. In 488 pages, this text book covers most aspects of echocardiography, from the basics to innovative imaging techniques. Th e fi rst chapters cover ultrasound imaging principles and trans thoracic and transesophageal evaluation. An important part of the book consists of chapters on dedicated techniques such as quantifi cation of left ventricular function and synchrony by strain imaging and speckle tracking, contrast-enhanced echocardiography, and three-dimensional imaging. It is followed by a description of the evaluation of heart function (including some lesser known aspects such as evaluation of atrial function) using all of these techniques. Th e second half of the book is devoted to the state of the art of the evaluation of most cardiac diseases with echocardiography. Th e chapters on the evaluation of valvular diseases and cardiomyopathies are particularly well developed. Th ere is a short chapter on non-cardiac vascular echography, but this chapter focuses mostly on chronic vascular diseases and is of limited interest. A chapter is dedicated to perioperative assessment, and another to evaluation of the patient in the emergency department. However, the care of the critically ill patient (that is, myocardial depression in sepsis, heart-lung interactions, and prediction of fl uid responsiveness) is not covered in this textbook. Each chapter also includes a very attractive personal per spec tive by the expert. Th is helps the reader to fi nd his or her way in the jungle of techniques and indices. Th e book is richly illustrated with close to 500 illus trations, which are of high quality and are self-explanatory. It also includes a DVD, and an online version of the textbook, with additional videos and downloadable PowerPoint fi gures, is available. Who should read this book? Th e reader should understand that this book is not oriented to intensive care practice but rather to the assessment of cardiovascular alterations with echocardiography. As such, it would probably be of greater benefi t to anesthesiologists or intensivists who have advanced echocardiophic knowledge and who desire to improve their knowledge in specifi c fi elds of echocardiographic assessment or to cardio logists in training than to regular anesthesiologists or intensivists with a basic knowledge of echocardiography. In conclusion, this textbook is particularly useful for trained echocardiographists who wish to update their knowledge of new techniques in the evaluation of heart function and diseases.