What Is an Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound test to evaluate the heart. It uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to produce live images, or “echos,” of the heart and its components, including the heart chambers, valves, and blood flow.
“It’s exactly the same as an ultrasound that women who are pregnant get to see the size and movement of the baby,” says Gaurav Upadhyay, MD, a cardiologist and a cardiac electrophysiologist at University of Chicago Medicine.
When it’s applied to your chest, it allows your doctor to check for various heart conditions, such as heart murmurs, valve issues, or heart muscle damage.
“Echocardiogram provides a black-and-white image that lets us evaluate the size and movement of the heart,” says Dr. Upadhyay.
The test is typically performed in a doctor’s office or hospital, and it offers vital information about the heart’s pumping ability, any structural abnormalities, and how well blood flows through the heart.
“It is safe, painless, and doesn’t involve radiation, making it a go-to diagnostic tool for evaluating the strength of the heart,” says Upadhyay.
Types of Echocardiograms
- Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) This is the most common type, in which a transducer (a handheld device) is placed on your chest to send and receive sound waves that create images of your heart.
- Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) In this type, a flexible tube with a transducer is passed down your throat and into your esophagus to get a closer look at the heart. This is usually done when more detailed images are needed.
- Stress Echocardiogram This type is done while your heart is under stress, either through exercise or with medication that mimics exercise, to see how your heart works when it’s pumping harder.
- Doppler Echocardiogram This test evaluates the speed and direction of blood flow through the heart’s valves and chambers.
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