An echocardiogram or echo test is used to examine the heart. It uses high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the heart’s structures. With an echocardiogram, the doctor can visualize the heart valves and chambers and to evaluate the heart size and thickness of the walls, as well as heart function.
Your doctor may order an echocardiogram to take a look at your heart and determine what is causing you to experience symptoms such as chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats, a heart murmur, and swelling in legs, all of which possibly indicate a heart problem.
The echocardiogram has been used for a long time. It is non-invasive and very comfortable for the patient. Let’s talk about what an echocardiogram can tell your doctor about your heart.
What Echocardiograms Can Diagnose
An echocardiogram can be used to diagnose many heart conditions, such as:
- Mitral valve prolapse – a condition where the two valve flaps of the mitral valve fail to close smoothly or evenly, resulting in a bulge into the left atrium.
- Arrhythmia – irregular heart rhythm.
- Heart failure – when the heart does not fill up with enough blood or pumps so weakly that your body doesn’t get the blood it needs.
- Inflamed pericardium – inflammation of the tissue surrounding the heart or pericarditis.
- Cardiomyopathy – different heart diseases that affect the heart’s muscle, and impair its ability to pump blood efficiently.
- Aortic valve stenosis – a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valves that can reduce or block blood flow to and from the heart.
Information that can be provided by an echocardiogram includes:
- Changes in heart size
- Heart defects
- Heart valve problems
- Narrowing of the heart valves
- Thickening of the heart muscle wall
- Strength of heart pumping
- Blood regurgitation
- Blood clots
- A heart infection
- Tumor growth around the heart valve
- Problems with the outer lining of the heart or pericardium
- Heart artery problems
- Holes in the heart chambers
- Damage to the heart muscle (possibly due to a heart attack)
An echocardiogram provides a lot of information to doctors and can be combined with a Doppler ultrasound to visualize blood flow across the valves for a comprehensive evaluation.
If your doctor has ordered an echocardiogram, know that it is a painless, non-invasive procedure that carries no risks. The exam is carried out by a sonographer, who will be using a hand-held transducer and moving it around the chest area for the exam. There is no pain sensation involved at all.
Echocardiogram in Irmo, SC
If you are looking for a diagnostic facility for your treatment, choose SC Internal Medicine Associates & Rehabilitation. By choosing us, you are deciding to have a high-quality patient experience. Our clinic in Irmo is a one-stop-shop for your medical needs. From diagnostics to treatment, we can provide you with any medical services you need. We offer a range of diagnostics tests to examine the heart and design individualized treatment plans for our patients.
We are an internal medicine practice, which means our physicians are internists who specialize in treating conditions that affect adults. We value your time and make it a convenient experience. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a scan, feel free to call our clinic today at (803) 749-1111 or use our convenient appointment request form.
