Table 1.

Standard 3D acquisition modes. Modified from Vegas and colleagues¹¹ and Vieira and Ronderos.¹⁷ IAS, interatrial septum; IVS, interventricular septum; LAA, left atrial appendage; LV, left ventricle; ROI, region of interest; RV, right ventricle.

	Live	Zoom	Full volume	CFD
Dimension	30° × 60°× depth	20° × 20° × 90° × 90° × adjustable height	90° × 90° × depth	Depends on the acquisition mode
Volume	Small size	Mid size	Large size	Variable
RT	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
FR	20–30 Hz	5–20 Hz	20–50 Hz	< 20 Hz
TR	Good	Low	Good	Low
SR	Mid	High	Low	Low
Features
Live mode	Used to: -guide and optimize the 3D image before FV and zoom modes acquisition -interrogate small but complex pathology -guide interventions Also, useful in patients with irregular heart rhythm. It is not useful to assess anatomic relationships or for quantification.
Zoom mode	Consider as an extension of 3D live mode. It displays a magnified subsection containing the ROI. Image acquisition is a multi-step process: 1.Manual positioning a box in two 2D planes to include the entire ROI (azimuth and elevation width are user adjustable) 2.Automatic dataset acquisition and cropping of the volume 3.Manual rotation of the 3D image to examine the structure Ideal mode for examining structure details (LAA, IAS, IVS, valves). Due to a limited pyramid size less useful to assess anatomic relationships.
Full volume	Due to large pyramid size it has poor SR and TR when used in RT (ie. single beat). Often used as multi-beat acquisition. Useful to quantify LV/RV function and whole heart visualization. Narrow near field – poor SR of the structures close to the probe.
CFD	It decreases the temporal resolution of the primary mode. The Nyquist limit should be adjusted according to the expected flow velocity. It gives information on blood flow velocity and volume allowing a more sensitive quantification of regurgitation areas and volumes for example.