Echocardiogram

What is an echocardiogram?

An echocardiogram is a safe, non-invasive procedure used to diagnose cardiovascular disease. It uses high-frequency sound waves to observe all four chambers of the heart, the heart valves, the blood vessels entering and leaving the heart, as well as the thin envelope around the heart. Echocardiography allows doctors to visualize the anatomy, structure and function of the heart. It allows doctors to quickly diagnose the presence and severity of heart valve problems, as well as determine abnormal flow within the heart that occurs with congenital heart disease.

Why is an echocardiogram performed?
What are the different types of echocardiogram?
What should I expect?
How long does it take?

Why is an echocardiogram performed?

Doctors use echocardiograms to diagnose and evaluate conditions of the heart and surrounding veins and arteries. Echocardiography can be used to determine causes for chest pain, establish a baseline for reference in tracking chronic heart conditions, evaluate the effects of a heart attack, diagnose narrowed or leaking heart valves, or determine the need for intervention or as a follow-up to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. An echocardiogram also can determine if the heart or aorta has been damaged in an accident. Young children or infants could have echocardiography performed if congenital heart disease is suspected.

What are the different types of echocardiograms?

The conventional echocardiogram is the transthoracic echocardiogram, performed by placing the probe on the outside of the chest wall with a gel-like substance to transmit sound waves into the body. It includes Doppler evaluation of blood flow in the heart and blood vessels. Doppler technique measures the speed and direction of the blood flow within the heart. It screens the four valves for leaks or other abnormalities. With Doppler echocardiograms, as the transducer moves over your heart you will hear a "whooshing' sound much like that of a washing machine. This sound relates to the movement of blood within your heart chambers.

What will happen during my echocardiogram?

The transthoracic echocardiogram is a painless procedure that involves the patient lying quietly while a small probe, called the transducer, is gently placed on various positions of the chest to obtain the images of the heart in real time. Because the sound waves do not readily pass through air, a clear jelly-like substance is applied between the chest and the transducer to improve the contact of the transducer with the skin.

The sound waves are painless and are not radioactive. This test is completely non-invasive: there are no needles.

How long does an echocardiogram take?