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Apr 12, 2024

Interventional echocardiographers play a key role in the treatment of structural heart disease

Since the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in 2012, interventional echocardiography has rapidly developed into its own subspecialty to guide TAVR and other new structural

Since the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in 2012, interventional echocardiography has rapidly developed into its own subspecialty to guide TAVR and other new structural heart procedures. Echocardiography is the primary imaging modality used to guide these procedures, and this has largely become a dedicated position at many hospitals rather than pulling imagers out of the echo lab.

Cardiovascular Business discussed this trend with Rebecca Hahn, MD, chief scientific officer of the Echo Core Lab at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) and director of interventional echocardiography at the Columbia University Medical Center Structural Heart and Valve Center in New York. She spoke on these topics at the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) 2023 meeting.

Hahn said the roles of the interventional echocardiographer on the heart team are much better defined today than just a few years ago.