The role of echocardiography in heart failure

Heart failure (HF) is a fast growing worldwide clinical problem and one of the most common causes of death in developed countries. It is a complex clinical syndrome that results from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricles to fill correctly or eject blood completely, leading to congestion and reduced systemic perfusion. Echocardiography is the most comprehensive imaging test in the diagnosis of HF. The test provides structural, functional, and hemodynamic information noninvasively. This first part of a 2-part series will describe the findings of echocardiography in patients with systolic and diastolic HF.