This volume contains most of the invited lectures presented at the second "Interna- tional Symposium on the Evaluation of Cardiac Dynamics by Ultrasound" which was held on May 27-28, 1982, in Hamburg. Main topics of the symposium dealt with new echocardiographic technologies such as the transesophageal technique and digital image processing of echocardio- grams, as well as with latest clinical and experimental results in the fields of contrast and Doppler echocardiography, tissue characterization and analysis of left ventricular function. We are greatly indebted to all participants who kept a very tight schedule in order to have these proceedings available at the time of the meeting. We cordially thank Dr. M. Schluter for his editorial assistance, Mrs. B. Kratzenberg for her secretarial help, and the Pharma-Schwarz Company for their generous financial support. Hamburg, May 1982 The Editors CONTRIBUTORS ABE, A., First Department of Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, 1-1-50, Fukushi- ma, Fukushima-ku, Osaka 553, Japan. BACKS, B., Medizinische Universitiitsklinik Bonn, Abteilung fUr Kardiologie, 5300 Bonn, BRO. BAKER, D.W., Ph.D., Squibb Medical Systems International, 2100 124th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98005, USA. BIAMINO, G., M.D., Klinikum Steglitz, Kardiologische Abteilung, Hindenburgdamm 30, 1000 Berlin 20, BRO. BLEIFELD, W., M.D., Abteilung fiir Kardiologie, Universitiitskrankenhaus Eppendorf, Martini- strasse 52, 2000 Hamburg 20, BRO. BOM, K., Ph.D., Thorax Center, Erasmus University, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands.