Through a Heart Echo Test, the Cardiologist can assess the size of the heart, the blood flow inside the heart and how the valves open and close. An Echocardiogram is an important and effective cardiac test that can detect a large number of heart conditions, diseases, infections, and indirectly coronary artery disease or blocked arteries. An echocardiogram will also look for any structural changes or damage to the heart that could indicate previous heart attacks. In fact, if you previously experienced a heart attack, then the walls of your heart would not move regularly, and this would be detected by the echo. Echocardiograms also detect any history of heart disease, and they show if there are any signs of heart failure, as the heart muscle will not contract or move normally. An Echo test can also detect heart inflammations such as pericarditis or myocarditis.
If you have a heart murmur on auscultation, it detects whether there is a problem of leakage or obstruction of a heart valve. The Echocardiogram can also detect a disease of the heart muscle, such as cardiomyopathy, by detecting changes in the heart muscle, which could be dilated, weaker, stiffer or could be hypertrophic, which means it is thicker. If you are experiencing any concerning symptoms, such as chest pain or shortness of breath, or something unusual is detected during a physical examination, or you have a history of heart disease or another heart condition, an echocardiogram may be recommended.
An echocardiogram test shows the structure of your heart and the surrounding blood vessels. The test can show how well your heart is functioning, any structural abnormalities, how well the blood flows inside the chambers of your heart and any issues with the valves or chambers. The echocardiogram sends sound waves into your chest that bounce off different areas of your heart and the surrounding area. This allows the Cardiologist to visualise the heart muscle by creating moving pictures of the heart and to assess different images and angles of the pumping heart.
For example, the Echocardiogram test will check if there is a leakage or a narrowing of the heart valves. An echocardiogram is an effective way to assess the blood vessels and the heart structure and understand whether there have been any blocked arteries that cause one of the walls of the heart not to move. An echocardiogram is a potentially life-saving cardiac test, as it can detect poor heart function, dangerous infections, or concerning structural changes that can be treated and monitored before it is too late.
The results of an Echocardiogram test (Echo Heart Scan) are immediate, and as we also connect an electrocardiogram or ECG, the Echocardiogram measurements are very accurate.
