What is Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram, or "echo," is a non-invasive, painless test that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to create detailed images of the heart. These images allow doctors to assess the heart's structure, function, and blood flow.
During the test, a device called a transducer is placed on the chest, sending sound waves through the body. These waves bounce off the heart and create moving images on a screen, showing the heart’s chambers, valves, and walls in real time.
Echocardiograms are commonly used to diagnose and monitor heart conditions like valve problems, heart failure, congenital defects, and cardiomyopathy. It's a key tool for detecting abnormalities and guiding treatment decisions
1. Advanced Technology
We use state-of-the-art echocardiography equipment to ensure precise and detailed imaging, helping doctors make accurate diagnoses.
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3. Personalized Approach
4. Comfortable Environment
With a focus on accuracy, comfort, and care, Echo Waves is the trusted choice for your heart health.
Heart conditions diagnosed by Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram provides detailed images of the heart, allowing doctors to assess various heart conditions with precision.
Here’s a more detailed look at the heart conditions that can be evaluated with an echo:
1. Heart Valve Diseases
- Aortic Stenosis: This is when the aortic valve becomes narrowed, making it difficult for blood to flow out of the heart. The echo measures the valve’s structure and function to determine the severity of stenosis.
- Mitral Valve Prolapse: The mitral valve may not close properly, allowing blood to leak backward (mitral regurgitation). An echo can detect abnormal movement and leakage in the mitral valve.
- Valvular Regurgitation: This condition occurs when any of the heart valves (aortic, mitral, tricuspid, or pulmonary) leaks blood backward. The echocardiogram helps visualize the severity of the leak.
2. Heart Failure
- Left Ventricular Dysfunction: An echo can measure how well the left ventricle (the heart’s main pumping chamber) contracts and ejects blood. This helps diagnose heart failure and measure its severity (ejection fraction).
- Diastolic Dysfunction: Echo can assess how well the heart relaxes and fills with blood, a key factor in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
3. Congenital Heart Defects
- Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD): Echo can detect holes in the heart’s walls that separate the atria or ventricles. These congenital defects can disrupt normal blood flow.
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA): This defect involves a persistent opening between the aorta and pulmonary artery that is normally present in fetuses but should close after birth. Echo can detect this abnormality.
4. Cardiomyopathy
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy: The heart chambers, particularly the ventricles, become enlarged and weakened. An echo can reveal an enlarged heart and reduced pumping capacity.
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: The heart muscle, especially the walls of the left ventricle, thickens abnormally, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. Echo measures the thickness and functioning of the heart muscle.
- Restrictive Cardiomyopathy: The heart muscle becomes stiff, limiting the heart’s ability to fill with blood between beats. Echo can identify structural abnormalities and changes in heart function.
5. Aortic Aneurysm
- An echo can detect an abnormal bulge or enlargement of the aorta (the main artery leaving the heart). This is critical to prevent rupture or dissection, both of which can be life-threatening.
6. Pericardial Disease
- Pericarditis: Inflammation of the pericardium (the sac around the heart) can cause fluid to accumulate around the heart. An echo can identify excess fluid (pericardial effusion) and assess the thickness and inflammation of the pericardium.
- Cardiac Tamponade: Severe fluid buildup can compress the heart, preventing it from pumping properly. Echo is used to diagnose this condition quickly, as it’s a medical emergency.
7. Pulmonary Hypertension
- Echo can estimate the pressure in the pulmonary arteries (the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the lungs). Increased pressure can indicate pulmonary hypertension, a condition that can lead to heart failure.
8. Blood Clots and Tumors
- Intracardiac Thrombus: Blood clots can form inside the heart chambers, especially after a heart attack or in conditions like atrial fibrillation. Echo can detect these clots, which pose a risk of stroke.
- Cardiac Tumors: Benign or malignant tumors like myxomas (the most common type) can be visualized using an echocardiogram.
9. Infective Endocarditis
- Infection of the heart valves or inner lining of the heart, often caused by bacteria, can be identified with an echo. The test can detect vegetations (clusters of bacteria and cell debris) on the valves, indicating an active infection.
10. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and Heart Attack Damage
- While an echocardiogram cannot directly visualize blockages in the coronary arteries, it can assess damage from a heart attack by showing areas of the heart that aren't contracting well (regional wall motion abnormalities). Echo also detects reduced blood flow to the heart muscle, which can help diagnose CAD indirectly.
11. Atrial Fibrillation and Arrhythmias
- Echo can help assess the size of the heart chambers, especially the atria, in patients with atrial fibrillation (A-Fib). Enlarged atria and abnormal blood flow patterns can contribute to A-Fib and other arrhythmias.
12. Heart Infections and Inflammation
- Conditions like myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) can be diagnosed through echocardiography by assessing the heart's function and detecting swelling or fluid buildup around the heart.
In summary, echocardiograms are versatile tools that help doctors diagnose and monitor a wide range of heart diseases. This safe non-invasive test provides crucial information that can guide effective treatment and improve patient outcomes.