Digital storage and retrieval: the future in echocardiography.

It seems we have been on the threshold of the digital revolution in echocardiography for some time and yet the vast majority of echocardiographic studies are still stored and reviewed from videotape. Why should this be? Several large echocardiography laboratories have had digital storage for over a decade now,' and the capability for sophisticated all digital storage and retrieval is being offered by several vendors. Nevertheless, there is an "energy of activation" that most laboratories have not been able to muster to make the leap into the digital era of echocardiography. This review article outlines the state of the art in digital echocardiography, covering formatting standards, compression choices, and advances in computer instrumentation. It is hoped that this will provide a practical guide to the choices that we as echocardiographers have to make as we move into the era of digital echocardiography.