Echocardiogram
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What Is an Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram allows doctors to take pictures of your heart and see its chambers as they move and pump blood.
This test is used to assess both the structure and the function of your heart. It can be used to detect many types of heart disease and can also track the effectiveness of various medications and treatments.
What Are the Types of Echocardiograms?
Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE)
The most common type of echocardiogram, a Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) involves placing a transducer on your chest. This device sends sound waves into your chest, which bounce off your heart and create images on a screen. A TTE evaluates the overall function of the heart, checks for heart diseases, monitors heart conditions, and assesses the effectiveness of treatments.
Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
Unlike a standard echocardiogram, which uses a transducer placed on the chest, a Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) involves inserting a thin, flexible tube with a transducer on the end down the esophagus. This allows for closer and clearer images of the heart, as the esophagus lies directly behind the heart.
TEE may be used to diagnose conditions such as valvular heart disease and blood clots. It can also be used alongside medical procedures like:
- Cardioversion
- Watchman and Amulet Procedures
- Mitral Clip Placement
- Tricuspid Clip Placement
- Valvuloplasty Procedures
Stress Echocardiogram
- Exercise Stress Test: Images of your heart are taken before and after exercise to see how your heart handles physical stress.
- Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography: Dobutamine, a medication that increases heart rate and mimics the effects of exercise, is administered while echocardiographic images are taken.
- Diastolic Stress Test: Assesses how well the heart relaxes and fills with blood under stress. It involves exercise or medication-induced stress with echocardiographic imaging.
- Valvular Stress Test: Evaluates the function of heart valves under stress conditions using exercise or medication-induced stress with echocardiography.
Specialized Echocardiogram
- Echocardiogram with Contrast: Involves injecting a special contrast agent into your bloodstream to enhance the images of the heart. This technique provides clearer and more detailed views of the heart, allowing for better diagnosis and management of various cardiac conditions. It may be used to help diagnose masses and structural heart abnormalities.
- 3D Echocardiography: Uses advanced technology to create three-dimensional images of the heart.
- Left Ventricular Peak Systolic Global Longitudinal Strain Imaging: Measures the deformation of the heart muscle during contraction.
UR Medicine's Approach
Echocardiography is the study of heart and function using sound waves. This is done by moving an ultrasound transducer to various locations on your chest, back or abdomen in order to image each structure of the heart from various viewpoints. A water-soluble gel is used to conduct the sound waves from the transducer to your body. You will not be able to feel or hear sound waves themselves, but you will feel the slight pressure of the transducer on your body as the sonographer positions it in various locations.
Please let us know if you have a venous access line in place, for example, a Mediport, as this access line can often by used for contrast injection.
Many patients find the exam to be a pleasant and interesting experience. Please tell us if you have concerns.
What Sets Us Apart?
We provide the most advanced technology in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region for echocardiograms. We're at the forefront of diagnostic and therapeutic imaging technologies.
As the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region's only academic medical center, we have exceptionally high standards that help ensure the best results for our patients. Our experts use state-of-the-art technology to identify heart disease and offer treatments and strategies to maximize heart health. Whether you need to control your high blood pressure or seek specialized care for an unusual heart condition, we have the expertise for you.