Echocardiography

Overview

What is Echocardiography?

Echocardiography is a noninvasive (the skin is not pierced) procedure used to assess the heart's function and structures. A transducer (like a microphone) sends out ultrasonic sound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. When the transducer is placed on your chest at certain locations and angles, the ultrasonic sound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the heart tissues, where the waves echo off of the heart structures. The transducer picks up the reflected waves and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the echoes into an image of the heart walls and valves.

An echocardiogram can utilize one or more of four special types of echocardiography, as listed below:

1. M-Mode echocardiography
   This, the simplest type of echocardiography, produces an image that is similar to a tracing rather than an actual picture of heart structures. M-mode echo is useful for measuring heart structures, such as the heart's pumping chambers, the size of the heart itself, and the thickness of the heart walls.
   
   
2. Doppler echocardiography
   This Doppler technique is used to measure and assess the flow of blood through the heart's chambers and valves. The amount of blood pumped out with each beat is an indication of the heart's functioning. Also, Doppler can detect abnormal blood flow within the heart, which can indicate a problem with one or more of the heart's four valves, or with the heart's walls.
   
   
3. Color Doppler
   Color Doppler is an enhanced form of Doppler echocardiography. With color Doppler, different colors are used to designate the direction of blood flow. This simplifies the interpretation of the Doppler technique.
   
   
4. 2-D (2-dimensional) echocardiography
   This technique is used to "see" the actual structures and motion of the heart structures. A 2-D echo view appears cone-shaped on the monitor, and the real-time motion of the heart's structures can be observed. This enables the physician to see the various heart structures at work and evaluate them.

Reasons for the Procedure

An echocardiogram may be scheduled to further evaluate signs or symptoms that may suggest atherosclerotic, heart disease, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure, aneurysm, valvular heart disease, a cardiac tumor, or other conditions.

Risks of the Procedure

No known risks.

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