ISSN: 1755-5310 (Electronic)1755-5302 (Print)

Interventional Cardiology

Echocardiography Online Journals

 An echocardiogram is a test that uses ultrasound to show how your heart muscle and valves are working. The sound waves make moving pictures of your heart so your doctor can get a good look at its size and shape. You might hear them call it “echo” for short. This is the standard test. It’s like an X-ray but without the radiation. Specialists use the same technology to check a baby's health before birth. A technician will put a hand-held device called a transducer on your chest. It sends high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) that bounce off your heart, creating images and sounds. On the day of the test, eat and drink as you usually would. Take all of your medications at the regular times.You’ll take off your clothing from the waist up and put on a hospital gown. A specialist called a cardiac sonographer will put three electrodes (small, flat, sticky patches) on your chest. The electrodes are attached to an electrocardiograph monitor (EKG or ECG) that tracks your heart's electrical activity. You’ll lie on your left side on an exam table. The sonographer will run a wand (called a sound-wave transducer) across several areas of your chest. There will be a small amount of gel on the end to help create clearer pictures. Changes in the sound waves, called Doppler signals, can show the direction and speed of blood moving through your heart. You may or may not hear the sounds during the test.   

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