[Progress in cardiac imaging: from echocardiography to multimodality imaging].

In the last few decades, echocardiography has represented one of the technological fields with the fastest evolution and progress. As a non-invasive method at relative low cost, it is also suitable for the future to an increasingly integrated use in any situation of clinical approach to the patient's bed, from emergency situations, to interventional environments, surgical rooms, clinical routine, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, prognosis and monitoring of therapies. Miniaturization of the equipment will allow an increasingly profound and complementary integration with the clinical physical examination (clinical echocardiography), and not only by cardiologists, but also by the multiplicity of medical and surgical clinical specialties. This involves great challenges in terms of training (both at university and post-graduate) and organization, aimed at appropriately integrating ultrasound diagnostic methods and multimodality imaging in the different sub-specialties' diagnostic and therapeutic paths. Further advances in miniaturized and handheld technologies are also needed, looking for a reliability at least comparable to that of the most top quality standard equipment. Artificial intelligence could help to improve this multidisciplinary approach to multimodality imaging in cardiology.