What is an echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram is a diagnostic technology that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of your heart. Dr. Sahni can see how well your heart is pumping blood and the way it’s beating, which can help when diagnosing heart symptoms.
The sound waves used in echocardiogram technology work in the same way as those in a standard ultrasound machine.
The sound waves bounce back as they meet the tissues that make up your heart, and computer software translates the rebounding sound waves, or echoes, into moving images that Dr. Sahni can see on a monitor.
Are there different types of echocardiogram?
There are several types of echocardiogram used at Sahni Heart Center:
Transthoracic echocardiogram
This type of echocardiogram is very similar to having an ultrasound on your abdomen. The handpiece, or transducer, moves across your skin using a gel that helps it slide easily and improves the signal. If your ribs or lungs are in the way of your heart, you might need to have an injection of enhancing agent into a vein to make the images clearer.
Doppler echocardiogram
Doppler echocardiogram allows Dr. Sahni to measure the direction of blood flow and the rate at which blood is flowing. Doppler echocardiograms measure changes in the pitch of high-frequency sound waves when they bounce off the blood cells in your heart, arteries, and veins.
Stress echocardiogram
Many patients find that when they visit Sahni Heart Center with symptoms of heart problems, their heart doesn’t exhibit any of the symptoms they’re describing. Unless the symptoms are present, testing your heart might not reveal the problem, so you might need to have a stress echocardiogram.
The stress echocardiogram involves you exercising on a piece of gym equipment like a treadmill while connected to the echocardiogram machine. As you work harder, your heart rate increases and the echocardiogram is more likely to pick up the abnormalities, causing your symptoms.
What do my echocardiogram results show?
Problems that echocardiograms could detect, include:
- Enlarged heart chambers
- Thickening heart walls
- Inadequate pumping
- Heart muscle damage
- Valve dysfunction
- Heart chamber abnormalities
- Complex congenital heart defects
Echocardiograms can also identify any faulty connections between your heart and the major blood vessels.
Using echocardiogram, Dr. Sahni can identify heart problems like these and devise a suitable treatment program for you.
If you’re experiencing symptoms that could be a sign of heart problems, call Sahni Heart Center today to schedule a consultation, or book an appointment online for the Clark, New Jersey, office.
