This monograph represents an attempt to collect the methods developed within the past decade in which echocardiography was being used to guide or to assess the results of some cardiovascular interventions or to overcome the imaging limitations of transthoracic approaches. I have entitled this book Echocardio­ graphy in Cardiac Interventions, although I am aware that this title is not entirely applicable to all the included methods. In these interventive procedures echocar­ diography preserves its noninvasive nature, and by combining it with invasive procedures, they become more accurate, safer and less invasive. The book is divided into 8 sections and 42 chapters written by many authorities in the field. When such comprehensive contributions from many authors are used, some overlapping cannot be avoided. I would like to express my appreciation to the individual contributors for their A. 1. Tajik dedication and cooperation in preparing this book. I am indebted to Dr. from the Mayo Clinic, who created a pleasant milieu for preparing the book during my sabbatical year at the Mayo Clinic. It is hoped that the reader will derive from this book a sense of where and how the ultrasound can be used in cardiovascular interventions today and what new approaches might be forthcoming. Iva Cikes List of contributors M. L. Antunes, MD., Department of Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York, USA. J. Areeda, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.