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Echocardiography
What is
Echocardiogrpahy?
Echocardiography is a diagnostic
test that uses ultrasound waves to create an image of
the heart muscle. Ultrasound waves that rebound or echo
off the heart can show the size, shape, and movement of
the heart's valves and chambers as well as the flow of
blood through the heart. Echocardiography may show such
abnormalities as poorly functioning heart valves or
damage to the heart tissue from a past heart attack.
Purpose
Echocardiography is used to
diagnose cardiovascular diseases. In fact, it is one of
the most widely used diagnostic tests for heart disease.
It can provide a wealth of helpful information,
including the size and shape of the heart, its pumping
capacity and the location and extent of any damage to
its tissues. It is especially useful for assessing
diseases of the heart valves. It not only allows doctors
to evaluate the heart valves, but it can detect
abnormalities in the pattern of blood flow, such as the
backward flow of blood through partly closed heart
valves, known as regurgitation. By assessing the motion
of the heart wall, echocardiography can help detect the
presence and assess the severity of coronary artery
disease, as well as help determine whether any chest
pain is related to heart disease. Echocardiography can
also help detect hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which
the walls of the heart thicken in an attempt to
compensate for heart muscle weakness. The biggest
advantage to echocardiography is that it is noninvasive
(doesn't involve breaking the skin or entering body
cavities) and has no known risks or side
effects.
Preparation
The patient removes any
clothing and jewelry above the chest.
Aftercare
No special measures need to
be taken following echocardiography.
Risks
There are no known risks
associated with the use of echocardiography.
Normal
Results
A normal echocardiogram
shows a normal heart structure and the normal flow of
blood through the heart chambers and heart valves.
However, a normal echocardiogram does not rule out the
possibility of heart disease.
Abnormal
Results
An echocardiogram may show
a number of abnormalities in the structure and function
of the heart, such as:
- thickening of the wall
of the heart muscle (especially the left ventricle)
- abnormal motion of the
heart muscle
- blood leaking backward
through the heart valves (regurgitation)
- decreased blood flow
through a heart valve (stenosis)
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