ecrease of pulmonary flow, valvular congestion, upper lung versus lower lung flow pattern, interstitial or alveolar edema, and the presence of Kerley B lines (23:375).
Fluoroscopy employs an image-intensifier tube to allow continuous X-ray viewing, thus allowing for real-time observations. Once a critical diagnostic test, it has been supplanted by echocardiography which provides better discrimination of the densities of different tissues and is risk-free. Its principle use today is in assessing diaphragmatic excursion (23:375).
Electrocardiography (ECG) is another basic test that is routinely performed because it is simple, inexpensive, non-invasive, carries no risk, and covers a wide variety of heart conditions. Its speedy results give the doctor a chance to make decisions about interim treatment until more sophisticated tests determine the details of diagnosis. However, the inferences drawn from ECGs are not conclusive of themselves and must be confirmed by other indications (24:1222); similar ECG patterns may have rather different pathological
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