The latest issue of CASE is now available with intriguing reports, including “The Sword and the Crown: Echocardiography for the Detection of a Rare Combination of Congenital Heart Disease” by Akingbade et al. Author Jeremy A. Slivnick, MD, FACC, FASE, remarked, “We present a case of partial anomalous pulmonary venous return with Scimitar Syndrome and persistent left superior vena cava which was incidentally detected by transthoracic echocardiography in a young female patient. Our case highlights the importance of careful sonographic evaluation for shunt lesions—including anomalous pulmonary venous return—whenever unexplained right heart enlargement is present. Additionally, passage of saline contrast bubbles into the coronary sinus prior to the right ventricle on left arm injection is confirmatory of persistent left superior vena cava.”

In a second Congenital Heart Disease report, authors utilize expert fetal echocardiography skills to evaluate an atrial mass that could have easily been misinterpreted. This issue contains two cases in Multimodality Imaging, including reports on the strengths and weaknesses of multimodality imaging in an investigation of rare pericardial tumors, and the migration of an atrial septal defect closure device to the pulmonary artery of a pregnant patient. Cardiac Tumors and Pseudotumors offers two serial imaging studies demonstrating the usefulness of radio-, targeted molecular-, and immune-therapies in the complete resolution of large masses. In a letter to the editor, authors provide additional 3D echo insights to consider when examining the LAA. Dr. Sorrell’s editorial discusses the normality of false chords and suggests reporting must evolve in accordance with improved imaging capabilities, which can now detect previously hidden anatomic variations.

Looking for a journal to submit your case report to? We want to hear from you! Email us with questions or submit your report today. Be sure to check out the latest Sonographer Sound-Off and Unlock the CASE features on the CASE Homepage to view more extraordinary work from your colleagues.

The end-of-year CME/MOC submission deadline is fast approaching! ASE’s accredited activities provide MOC points that meet ABIM, ABA, and ABP Maintenance of Certification program requirements and ARDMS and CCI registry requirements. As a benefit of ASE membership, you have access to over 25 free CME/MOC activities AND we will automatically transfer your CME credits to your specialty board. 

For credits or points to be counted towards the 2023 year, activities must be completed no later than December 1, 2023 for ABP and December 31, 2023 for ABA, ABIM, ARDMS, and CCI.

Don’t wait until the end of the year. Check your specialty board account online and make sure your ASE credits have been successfully transferred.

If you need CME credits or MOC points, log in to the ASE Learning Hub and start earning credits today.

Please email CME@ASEcho.org for questions or assistance. 

The American Medical Association (AMA) is undertaking a new national survey to collect representative data on physician practice expenses. The aim of the Physician Practice Information (PPI) Survey is to better understand the costs faced by today’s physician practices to support physician payment advocacy.

Watch for invitations to complete this survey in your email inbox (remember to check spam/junk folders):

• Invitations and reminders about the survey will come from PPISurvey@mathematica-mpr.com with the subject line: “American Medical Association requests your input on physician practice expense and patient care hours.”
• Invitations and reminders about physician hours worked will come from PhysicianHoursSurvey@mathematica-mpr.com with the subject line: “Please help to update accurate physician payments.”

Your input will ensure future accurate valuation.

The ASE Foundation needs your help to reach its highest ever GivingTuesday fundraising goal of $35,000. When you make your GivingTuesday contribution, allocate your funds towards the initiative that aligns most with your priorities!

Your donations to our Research initiative allow the Foundation to support the progress and future of our field through investment in the discovery process and in the careers of investigators, like 2023 Brian Haluska Sonographer Research Award Competition Winner, Nicole Guerrera, RDCS.

If supporting the discovery process of cardiovascular ultrasound investigators is #YourPriority, allocate your GivingTuesday donation to the ASE Foundation’s Research initiative. Funding in this area preserves dedicated time for investigators through research grants, and also creates opportunities for researchers to interact with global experts in cardiovascular ultrasound, building relationships that lead to future research and professional collaborations.

Donations will be accepted November 26 – December 2. Contact the Foundation at Foundation@ASEcho.org with any questions.

Save up to $225!

Embrace the “Aloha Spirit” at ASE’s 33^rd Annual Echo Hawaii, taking place January 15-19, 2024, on the Kohala Coast, Big Island, Hawaii. New this year, we have moved the location of the course to the Fairmont Orchid, a luxurious, family-friendly resort that sits on 32 oceanfront acres and offers various amenities such as a pool, golf course, and tennis center. Echo Hawaii features endless opportunities for adventure, wellness, and education!

This year’s program focuses on the application of advanced cardiovascular imaging technologies in the clinical setting and includes special sessions on clinical dilemmas and technology-based workshops.



Early registration ends December 14! Remember to log in to the ASE Member Portal before purchasing to also receive your member discount. 

Allina Health is the latest institution to join ASE’s ImageGuideEcho™ Registry, the nation’s first echo-specific clinical data registry for quality improvement. ImageGuideEcho Registry Committee Chair Jordan Strom, MD, MSc, FASE, says, “Allina Health’s involvement in the ImageGuideEcho Registry will help ensure quality and timely care is delivered in echocardiography across its Abbott Northwestern Hospital and future locations, benchmarking performance against national standards and allowing for ease of data submission for accreditation. We look forward to working with Allina Health in helping pave an innovative path towards excellence in echocardiography care in the digital era.”

As a benefit of ASE membership, members can participate in the ImageGuideEcho Registry for FREE. For more information about your how institution can enroll, email Info@ImageGuideEcho.org or call 919-297-7174.

Tomorrow, November 9, will mark one year since ASE released its mobile and web application, EchoGuide. In the past year, the FREE calculator and algorithm app has been downloaded nearly 55,000 times!

Download EchoGuide for access to more than 50 easy-to-use calculators, algorithms, and charts based on key ASE guidelines for use by healthcare professionals providing cardiac care. The app is available in the Apple and Google Play stores and on the web!



Enjoying EchoGuide? Let us know by writing a review in the Apple or Android App stores. Potential users will benefit from reading about your favorite app features and how this tool helps you in your day-to-day practice. 

The ASE Foundation has set its highest ever GivingTuesday fundraising goal: $35,000. Our most ambitious yet, and we need your help to reach it!

The contributions from YOU, our amazing donors, are what allow us to support the cardiovascular ultrasound community and foster the next generation, like this year’s Katanick Scholarship Award Winner, Forrest Zimmerman, who said, “The ASE [Scientific Sessions] surpassed my expectations. The gathering of a myriad of different people, all connected through the heart as it were, whether a doctor, sonographer, vendor, or one of many other disciplines, was a really humbling and wonderful experience. ASE really made me feel like part of a larger family. I attended talks on amyloid and congenital heart abnormalities, specifically CCTGA. As a student, and soon to be a new cardiac sonographer, I really was excited to see the career path possibilities that are available to me moving forward. I would like to learn more about adult congenital and cardiomyopathies and hopefully present what I’ve learned at future ASE gatherings.”

When you support the ASE Foundation, you unleash our power to continue to host educational competitions, offer scholarships to students, and disseminate ASE guideline materials to clinicians worldwide, among other charitable initiatives. Plan to join us for GivingTuesday 2023. Donations will be accepted from November 26 – December 2. 

The November issue of JASE includes, “Prognostic Signals From Moderate Valve Disease in Big Data: An Artefact of Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine Structured Reporting?” Author Thomas H. Marwick, MBBS, PhD, MPH, remarks, “Studies using ‘big data’ from echocardiographic databases should take steps to ensure accuracy and validity of data. These databases often derive from the clinical interpretation of many different readers, and the summary numbers are subject to the vicissitudes of how they are exported from the reporting software. The results of this paper suggest that a process of over-reading at least a proportion of the data, to identify potential errors or inconsistencies, is important.”

This issue contains another clinical investigation on data curation and classification of aortic stenosis severity, as well as other reports covering lung ultrasound after fluid challenge to distinguish pulmonary hypertension from heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, and normal values to assess LV filling pressure. Additionally, this issue features a focus topic on tricuspid regurgitation and right atrial and RV pressure, with two clinical investigations and two editorial comments on the topic, as well as a brief research communication on tricuspid regurgitation’s impact on the outcomes score in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Readers can look forward to the American Society of Echocardiography COVID-19 Statement Update: Lessons Learned and Preparation for Future Pandemics as well as a state-of-the-art review on echo patterns of abnormal septal motion. Two additional brief research communications include reports on semiautomated quantification of the tricuspid annulus using 3D echo, and the association between a novel ultrasound-based carotid plaque vulnerability score and long-term cardiovascular outcomes.

Dr. Eidem’s exploration of ASE’s core values continues with this month’s President’s Message, featuring excellence and advancing knowledge, including a research update from Co-Chair of ASE’s Research Committee, Daniel Forsha, MD, MHS, FASE.

Alan S. Pearlman, MD, FASE, and Julius M. Gardin, MD, MBA, FASE, have contributed a thoughtful In Memoriam to their colleague and former ASE President Walter L. Henry, MD, FASE, who passed away in April of 2022. Please see the November ASE Education Calendar for a listing of educational opportunities far and wide.