Echocardiography

Echocardiography relies on ultrasound, the same technology used in depth finders on boats and in prenatal sonograms to generate detailed information about the heart function as well as the diameter of the aorta. A small device that looks like a microphone, called a transducer or probe, directs ultrasound waves into the chest. The returning sound waves are analyzed by a computer that generates images that can be viewed on a video screen. Echocardiography poses no known risk to the body.

Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: What men need to know about their cholesterol Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control MedlinePlus--Aneurysms: A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus provides a wide range of links concerning aneurysms. Additionally, their medical encyclopedia includes entries for abdominal aortic aneurysm and thoracic aortic aneurysm. VascularWeb: Provided by the Society for Vascular Surgery, VascularWeb explains symptoms, causes, tests, and treatments for abdominal aortic aneurysm and thoracic aneurysm. American Heart Association--Aortic Aneurysm: A brief overview of the condition, from the American Heart Association. Society of Interventional Radiology--Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: The SIR provides an overview of abdominal aortic aneurysms, as well as information about diagnosis and treatment. Aortic Aneurysms-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

The information collected by the echocardiograph can be displayed three different ways:

• The M-mode echocardiogram looks nothing like a heart. This abstract image is used to measure the size of various structures in the heart.
• The 2-D echocardiogram is a moving image that shows how well all the parts of the heart are working. These two-dimensional images offer a view of the heart as if the images were slices from a loaf of bread.
• The Doppler echocardiogram helps doctors evaluate the blood-flow paths through the heart. You'll hear a "whoosh" sound during the procedure that represents blood flowing past the heart's various structures.

No preparation is needed for the standard echo known as a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE). In this procedure, which usually takes one to two hours to complete, a technician applies a watery gel to the chest and then slides the transducer across the chest to scan the heart from various angles. The technician monitors the electrical activity of the heart throughout the procedure using electrodes that are attached to the chest with sticky pads. In some cases, a contrast agent, akin to a dye, is injected into a vein to improve the images from the echo. Most patients say the procedure is painless, although some report slight discomfort from the pressure of the transducer on the chest.

Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is an alternative echo technique that is sometimes used to evaluate an aortic aneurysm. In this procedure, the transducer is mounted on the tip of a ½-inch-diameter, flexible tube that is inserted through the patient's mouth down into the esophagus, the passageway that runs from the throat to the stomach. The advantage of the transesophageal echocardiogram is that it provides a more detailed image of the aorta and blood flow because the esophagus is close to the heart.

Patients are asked to fast for at least eight hours before the transesophageal test; ask your physician about taking medications before the examination. This procedure does not interfere with breathing, and patients are given a numbing medication and a mild sedative to make them more comfortable. Most patients rest comfortably during the procedure, which usually lasts between 15 and 20 minutes. Some individuals experience a minor sore throat following this procedure.