Routine Tests Help Detect Heart Disease
Many patients often experience feelings of fear and
anxiety when their doctor recommends that they have
an echocardiogram or echo. It is important for patients
to know what to expect with this routine, non-invasive
procedure.
What is an echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram is performed to provide your cardiologist
(heart specialist) with a detailed view of your heart.
In comparison to the standard X-ray, it is provides
more detailed information and does not require any exposure
to radiation.
How is the test performed?
A patient lies flat on an examination table with clothing
removed from the waist up and the heart is monitored.
After applying gel to the patient’s chest, a trained
technician (sonographer) places a special device on
the ribcage near the breastbone that transmits high-frequency
sound waves. As the device is directed toward the heart,
it picks up echoes of the sound waves and transmits
them as electrical impulses to an echocardiography machine,
which transforms the impulses into a moving picture
of the heart. No intravenous or injections are usually
needed.
Why should you have an echocardiogram?
According to Paul
Rogers, MD, chief of Medicine and a Cardiologist
at Phoenixville
Hospital, “In addition to showing
the heart chamber size, heart strength and valve function,
echocardiograms enable doctors to evaluate heart murmurs
and monitor patients who have had heart attacks. These
tests may involve exercising on a treadmill to indicate
whether enough blood is flowing through the coronary
arteries to permit normal heart function.”
 What does the test reveal?
Our physicians are skilled in interpreting echocardiograms.
While some abnormalities may be minor, others can be
signs of more serious heart disease and require further
evaluation by a specialist. Be sure to speak to your
doctor regarding your test results and recommended plan
of action.
Here
an echocardiogram demonstrates left atrium (LA), left
ventricle (LV), right atrium (RA), and right ventricle
(RV). Major blood vessels such as the aorta can also
be examined for enlargement (aneurysm).
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