Echocardiography & Ultrasound

What is it?

An echocardiogram, also known as a heart ultrasound uses sound waves to look at the size, shape, and motion of the heart. More specifically, the test shows: the 4 chambers of the heart; heart valves and the walls of the heart; blood vessels entering and leaving the heart; and the Pericardium—the sac that surrounds the heart.

Why do I need an Echocardiogram (echo)?

An echocardiogram is a non-invasive way to examine the heart. More specifically an echo does the following:

• Assess the overall function of your heart
• Determine the presence of many types of heart disease
• Follow the progress of heart valve disease over time
• Evaluate the effectiveness of medical or surgical treatments

Going the echo route has many advantages to the comfort of the patient such as the fact that an echo does not require a sedative, injecting a dye into the body, or putting a patient into a claustrophobia-inducing machine to do the procedure.