The 48th Echocardiography Workshop was held at Asan Medical Center on February 15, 2025.
As the first echocardiography workshop of 2025, it was attended by many physicians. Particularly, this workshop drew even more participants because it featured a special lecture commemorating the retirement of the esteemed Professor Song Jae-gwan.

This time, a variety of educational cases were presented under an open-topic format. All were meaningful and instructive cases, and I would like to introduce a few of them. First, a case of an Eisenmenger syndrome patient in whom aggressive use of Remodulin led to improvement in pulmonary hypertension, making surgical treatment possible. This case showed that, in the early stage of Eisenmenger syndrome, there is reversibility, and with active treatment, the patient’s prognosis can be improved. Second, a case of recurrent valve thrombosis that occurred after bioprosthetic valve replacement in a young-age patient. It served as a reminder that, in young-age patients, unless there is a specific contraindication, a mechanical valve remains the treatment of choice. Third, a case where the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP) was anabolic steroid drugs. With the recent trend of increasing anabolic steroid use, this case highlighted the importance of checking drug history in clinical practice. Fourth, a case in which, after PFO closure in a patient with recurrent stroke, a cancer thrombus was found in the left side of the heart. In cases where strokes occur too frequently, it is worth questioning whether PFO is truly the only cause. Lastly, a case of mycotic aortic aneurysm where blood cultures were initially negative, making it difficult to suspect an infection, but a later tissue culture confirmed the diagnosis. This case provided indirect experience with a very rare but fatal disease.

The highlight of the workshop was the retirement commemorative lecture by Professor Song Jae-gwan, which showed his long-standing passion and academic excellence. His contributions in areas such as ergonovine echo, aorta, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and aortic stenosis—as well as his tireless dedication to mentoring and educating juniors and trainees—were deeply appreciated and respected.

Through the diverse cases presented at this echocardiography workshop, I was able to learn a great deal. I sincerely hope that the echocardiography workshop will continue to grow as an academic meeting that contributes to the development and progress of all participating physicians.