DENVER -- Heart disease diagnosis and treatment has taken a big leap forward thanks to a new ultrasound technology.

The old way was to use two-dimensional images of the heart. Now, a new procedure called IE-33 captures live, three-dimensional images through a noninvasive procedure.

"Nine years ago I had congestive heart failure after finding out I had a virus. And then five years almost to the day, I had a heart attack," said Susan Reese.

Like thousands of heart patients, Reese is trying to prolong her life. She's taken part in various heart studies and has tried experimental drugs. Reese is now trying out a new procedure called IE-33 intelligent echocardiography.

The same technology used to see an unborn baby is used to see the patient's heart.

The machine allows doctors to examine a patient's beating heart, as if they were holding it in their hands, eliminating some of the guesswork in analyzing heart problems because doctors can look at the heart in three-dimensions and in noninvasive way.

In less than a minute, doctors have the first results. The machine reconstructs the heart onto a computer screen, giving the doctor the ability to analyze and measure the organ from all angles.

Something a doctor is not able to do with the traditional two-dimensional echocardiograph.

"We can diagnose new diseases that we couldn't before and have more precise measurements for function of the heart," said Dr. Ernesto Salcedo with the University of Colorado Hospital.

For Reese, IE-33 could be a life-saver.

"I look forward to seeing the results of this test. Then I can carry on with my life," she said.

Cardiologists say 85 percent of all deaths due to heart disease could have been prevented through early detection.

If you would like to learn more about the 3-D cardiac ultrasound technology and where it is offered in Colorado, call the University of Colorado Hospital's Heart Center at (303) 372-0600 or visit www.uch.edu.