Three-Dimensional Echocardiography: The Gateway to Virtual Reality!

Virtual reality (VR) is one of the latest developments in cardiac three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound. A VR heart model linked to 3-D echocardiographic image datasets provides the observers spatial information regarding a 3-D image dataset and prevents the "lost in space effect" in difficult and relevant coupled diseases when integrated into 3-D reconstruction software. Standardized echocardiographic views can be selected within the integrated developed VR heart model, and this is the first step to automatic 3-D computations with minimal operator interaction. VR heart models open exciting opportunities in the field of teaching echocardiographic cardiology, diagnosis, and examinable states.