The March issue of JASE is entirely focused on the echocardiographic assessment of the right heart. It includes a new Society guideline, “Guidelines for the Echocardiographic Assessment of the Right Heart in Adults and Special Considerations in Pulmonary Hypertension: Recommendations from the American Society of Echocardiography.” The writing group was led by Drs. Monica Mukherjee and Lawrence Rudski.

This issue’s original investigations incorporate a variety of topics including length indexing for right ventricular function, tricuspid regurgitation, exercise echocardiography, and sex differences in right heart size in pulmonary hypertension. Regarding his original investigation, “Association With Outcomes of Correcting the Proximal Isovelocity Surface Area Method to Quantitate Secondary Tricuspid Regurgitation,” lead author Michele Tomaselli, MD, remarks, “The PISA method, when adjusted for the leaflets of the tricuspid valve and the low velocities of the regurgitant jet, improves its overall accuracy and prediction of outcomes, particularly in cases of ventricular secondary tricuspid regurgitation.” Editorial comments accompany three of these original investigations, addressing proximal isovelocity surface area correction in tricuspid regurgitation, atrial secondary tricuspid regurgitation, and assessment of RV function in patients with and without tricuspid regurgitation. Two brief research communications discuss prognostic value of right ventricular dysfunction in dilated cardiomyopathy and quantification of lung perfusion by a novel echocardiographic approach in pediatric pulmonary vein stenosis. Rounding out this issue is a letter to the editor about artificial intelligence-based detection of tent-like signs in intracardiac echocardiography to assist transseptal puncture.

Guest written by Susan E. Wiegers, MD, FASE, this month’s President’s Message honors the beautiful life and legacy of James N. Kirkpatrick, MD, FASE.

A new call for papers is now open! A focus issue on chamber quantification is set for publication in early 2026. Papers that address any aspect of echocardiography in quantitative assessment of the cardiac chambers should be submitted by June 1, 2025. Please direct questions to JASE managing editor Debbie Meyer at dmeyer@asecho.org.

Tune into our Author Spotlight page for interviews between JASE Editor-in-Chief Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, and authors of recently published papers. February’s interview features Kevin M. Harris, MD, FASE, discussing his paper, “Rate of Ascending Aortic Enlargement in a Large Echocardiographic Cohort: Associated Risk Factors and Adverse Aortic Events.”
Please see the March ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide

Application Deadline: March 24, 2025 

Along with Course Directors and Chairs, Course Co-Directors and Co-Chairs are instrumental in the implementation and success of live and virtual courses. All applications for available positions can be submitted now through March 24th. The ASE Education Committee will review applications and make recommendations to the ASE Executive Committee, who will make the final selection on April 8th.

ASE Course Co-Director Positions

It is current policy that the Co-Director becomes the Course Director after two years and will then serve as the Course Director for two years. The application process for Course Co-Director beginning in 2027 and serving through 2028 is now open for the following ASE courses:

• Echo Hawaii

ASE Virtual Co-Chair Positions

It is current policy that the Co-Chair becomes the Course Chair after one year, and then will serve as the Course Chair for one year. The application process for Course Co-Chair for 2027 is now open for the following ASE courses:

• Advanced Imaging Techniques Virtual Experience
• Echo in Pediatric & Congenital Heart Disease

NOTE: Since the chair and co-chair for the PCHD are required to be a physician and a sonographer, the 2027 PCHD Co-Chair must be a sonographer.

The February issue of JASE includes a new guideline titled, “Guidelines for Performing Ultrasound-Guided Vascular Cannulation: Recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography.” Lead co-author Annette Vegas, MD, FASE, remarks, “Ultrasound guidance is currently not a standard of care for all vascular access, but it is becoming increasingly common in daily clinical practice due to its ability to enhance success rates and reduce complications. Adopting the recommendations in this guideline will help clinicians better minimize risks, maximize technical competencies and ultimately, improve patient outcomes.”

This issue’s original investigations incorporate a variety of topics including ascending aortic aneurysm, left atrial function and heart failure development, and the right ventricle in pulmonary vascular disease. Editorial comments accompany two of these original investigations, addressing screening intervals and rates of expansion in ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm as well as a left atrial volumetric/mechanical coupling index. Rounding out this issue are a number of brief research communications—machine learning technology in automating thoracic aorta dimensions and stratifying risk in low-gradient aortic stenosis, the hemodynamic performance of some recent TAVR valves, clinical and echocardiographic features of individuals with cardiac amyloidosis at risk for future thrombus formation, and the use of left atrial appendage 3D echo to refine the prothrombotic state in atrial fibrillation.

Guest written by members of ASE’s Council on Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease Steering Committee, Craig E. Fleishman, MD, FASE, and Pei-Ni Jone, MD, FASE, this month’s President’s Message highlights the ongoing work of this council and its future priorities to drive progress in this sector of the field.

A new call for papers is now open! A focus issue on chamber quantification is set for publication in early 2026. Papers that address any aspect of echocardiography in quantitative assessment of the cardiac chambers should be submitted by June 1, 2025. Please direct questions to JASE managing editor Debbie Meyer at dmeyer@asecho.org.

Tune into our Author Spotlight page for interviews between JASE Editor-in-Chief Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, and authors of recently published papers. January’s interview features Thomas H. Marwick, MBBS, PhD, MPH, discussing his paper, “Cardiac Function and Functional Capacity in Patients With Long COVID: A Comparison to Propensity-Matched Community Controls.”

Please see the February ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “Aortic Stenosis With Dynamic Left Ventricular Outflow Obstruction: Diagnostic and Management Challenges—A Case Series.” CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “One of the commonly encountered, but difficult diagnostic and clinical scenarios, is the patient with serial obstructive lesions. Fortunately, for CASE readers, they now have an outstanding CASE series from Qian et al. who took the time to prepare many such examples. Using CASE report formats to educate us, these authors provide us with their expert insights and approach to three diverse clinical examples—using Doppler as well as 2D and 3D echocardiography to guide the assessment of the hemodynamic significance at each level of serially obstructive lesions. Starting with TTE as the diagnostic modality of choice, they also discuss the incremental value of TEE and invasive hemodynamics. This is another CASE report you will want in your growing file of CASE reports included in your Echo Lab Educational Curriculum Folder.”

In addition to this Doppler Dilemmas report, Ochi et al. demonstrate a “dove-coo murmur” that originated from pulmonary regurgitation, revealing how to compare visual signals on spectral Doppler displays with their audio counterparts. This issue continues with two reports in the Congenital Heart Disease category. Shaw et al. report on a venous anomaly where the right SVC and IVC drained into the LA, including echo Doppler images to show the associated shunt lesions and cardiac CT images used to guide surgical repair. Chen et al. use echo and cardiac CT for a patient with bicuspid AV, an anomalous coronary artery, and a congenitally malformed papillary muscle – a reminder of how often adults are affected by previously undiagnosed congenital heart disease. Fetal Echocardiography rounds out this issue, with Tunks et al. reporting on an infant with a tortuous, elongated left-sided aortic arch, offering suggestions on how to approach antenatal diagnoses and the importance of multidisciplinary serial follow up.

Dr. Sorrell’s editorial describes the relatively recent transition from analog to digital echo, assessing the benefits of this transition while reminiscing on the technology that served us well at the time. Be sure to check out the latest Unlock the CASE on the CASE homepage, which was the winning entry from the Cardio-oncology SIG Case Competition.

SUBMIT your case report to us! Whether it will be your first time submitting a case or your 50^th, we are here to make it a great experience. Email us with questions or submit your report today!

The January issue of JASE includes a brief research communication titled, “Sustained Benefits of Mavacamten in Patients With Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Long-Term Assessment Using Artificial Intelligence–Electrocardiogram and Echocardiographic Data.” Author Said Alsidawi, MD, remarks, “In this paper, we show that mavacamten has sustained benefit on left ventricular diastolic function based on AI-ECG data and echo parameters when assessed after 6 months of therapy. These benefits were independent of LVOT gradient relief and might suggest an intrinsic effect on the myocytes.”

Two other brief research communications are included in this issue; the first discusses a novel echocardiography feature-tracking algorithm for stabilized frame-to-frame extraction of aortic root diameters in the parasternal long axis, and another comes to us from Australia and New Zealand, spotlighting young people with rheumatic mitral regurgitation living in remote areas. This issue’s original investigations incorporate a variety of topics including cardiac function in long COVID, coronary artery disease, and normal values in 3D echocardiography. An editorial comment accompanies an original investigation on the prevalence of diastolic and systolic mitral annular disjunction in patients with mitral valve prolapse. Rounding out this issue is the correspondence section—read about efficacy of goal-directed Valsalva in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy taking mavacamten, targeted neonatal echo based hemodynamic consultation in the ICU, and dobutamine in low-flow, low-gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction.

This month’s President’s Message is guest written by members of ASE’s Research and Research Oversight Committees, Jonathan Lindner, MD, FASE; Daniel Forsha, MD, FASE; and Raymond Stainback, MD, FASE, and highlights the vital work of clinician-scientists and ASE’s ongoing efforts to support scientists and innovation in this realm of echo.

A new call for papers is now open! A focus issue on chamber quantification is set for publication in early 2026. Papers that address any aspect of echocardiography in quantitative assessment of the cardiac chambers should be submitted by June 1, 2025. Please direct questions to JASE managing editor Debbie Meyer at dmeyer@asecho.org.

The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “The Spectrum of Diagnostic Findings in Postcardiotomy Tamponade.” CASE Editor-in-Chief Vincent Sorrell, MD, FASE, remarked, “Every month, CASE reminds us why it was started as a mechanism to add value to our clinical practice. This month’s issue was no different as Kamran et al. elegantly described carefully performed echocardiography including correlative CT scans and right heart hemodynamic data. These authors reported their findings on two patients to showcase the array of diagnostic modalities for localized postcardiotomy tamponade. Their first case example with focal RA collapse due to a localized hemorrhage is an impressive image that could very easily be overlooked. In my large, university clinical practice, this deadly pathologic finding is either missed entirely or identified late in its clinical course at least once every year. Reports such as this serve as educational tools to remind us of this post-operative complication and its variable clinical presentation. All individuals who interpret or acquire echo images should read this report to maintain a high index of suspicion so as not to miss this localized tamponade finding.”

This issue opens with the Interventional Echocardiography category, providing readers with a greater understanding of the symbiotic relationship between echo and percutaneous structural heart repairs. Reports include a successful edge-to-edge repair of an interscallop origin of MR, TEE to guide percutaneous mitral valve repair in three patients who were post mitral annuloplasty, and percutaneous mechanical circulatory support in a patient with a post-infarct ventricular septal rupture. A case in the Multimodality Imaging category includes a contrasting comparison between two unique LV apical pathologies with an emphasis on the value of complementary tomographic imaging. Congenital Heart Disease rounds out this issue, reporting on the unintended consequences of a patient who underwent surgery for an atrial septal defect and was found to have a persistent shunt.

In this final issue of 2024, Dr. Sorrell’s editorial describes the connection between echocardiography and crystals, the latter of which we can all appreciate for their embodiment of growth and change as we head into the new year.

SUBMIT your case report to us! Whether it will be your first time submitting a case or your 50^th, we are here to make it a great experience. Email us with questions or submit your report today!

The December issue of JASE includes a state-of-the-art review titled, “Noninvasive Imaging for Native Aortic Valve Regurgitation.” Lead author Vidhu Anand, MBBS, FASE, remarks, “Comprehensive evaluation of aortic regurgitation (AR) includes assessing valve morphology, AR severity and mechanism, and left ventricular (LV) remodeling. Quantification of regurgitant volume and effective regurgitant orifice area is essential, with integration of semiquantitative and qualitative parameters when quantification is not feasible. Advanced imaging techniques, such as cardiac magnetic resonance, are valuable for assessing AR severity and detecting early LV dysfunction, especially when echocardiographic findings are inconclusive or discordant.”

This issue’s original investigations incorporate a variety of topics including early fetal echocardiography, congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries, cardiac mechanics in HCM, and glycemic control and cardiac function in diabetes mellitus. One editorial comment accompanies the original investigation in early fetal echocardiography, discussing early heart checks and the role of transvaginal cardiac imaging in clinical practice. Four brief research communications follow with reports on LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with heart failure with a higher ventricular ejection fraction, how to balance safety with accuracy in lung ultrasound, improving prenatal detection of congenital heart disease, and the RV to pulmonary artery coupling and prognosis in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis. Rounding out this issue are two letters to the editor related to the impact of perivascular amyloid deposition on cardiac remodeling in AL amyloidosis.

This month’s President’s Message highlights a gift you might like to consider for yourself this holiday season: attendance at ASE’s 50^th anniversary celebration in Nashville next September. Attendees of the ASE 50 Experience will have many exciting improvements in store including an ASE Goes Green campaign to reduce the environmental footprint, a new content delivery platform, and more!

A new call for papers is open now! A focus issue on chamber quantification is set for publication in early 2026. Papers that address any aspect of echocardiography in quantitative assessment of the cardiac chambers should be submitted by June 1, 2025. Please direct questions to JASE managing editor Debbie Meyer at dmeyer@asecho.org.

Tune into our Author Spotlight page for interviews between JASE Editor-in-Chief Patricia Pellikka, MD, FASE, and authors of recently published papers. November’s interview features Nils Sofus Borg Mogensen, MD, discussing his paper, “Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography in Low-Gradient Aortic Stenosis.”

Please see the December ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.