Developments in echocardiography.

Over the last 25 years, echocardiography has progressed from being an interesting technical achievement to a major cardiac diagnostic tool. Echocardiography has many advantages, including widespread availability, safety, and low cost. These features, combined with its accuracy in providing structural and functional information, have led to its introduction into many areas of cardiac diagnosis. Recent technologic developments have further increased the amount of information provided by echocardiography.