Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Echocardiogram/Echo-Doppler?
What information does Echocardiography/Echo-Doppler provide?
How safe is Echocardiography/Echo-Doppler?
How long does it take?

What is an Echocardiogram?
An Echocardiogram is a two-dimensional image of the heart. During an echocardiographic study   (a cardiac ultrasound or echo), we use very high frequency sound waves to form a moving, two-dimensional picture of your child's heart on a television screen.

What information does Echocardiography and Echo-Doppler provide? - Top
Echocardiography/Echo-Doppler is an invaluable tool in providing the doctor with important information about the following:

• Identify any abnormalities in the structure of your heart

• Evaluate how the heart muscle is functioning

• Measure the speed of blood flow through the heart

• Estimate blood pressure in the different chambers of the heart
   

Some specific information Echocardiogram/Echo-Doppler testing provide include:

Size of the chambers of the heart, including the dimension or volume of the cavity and the thickness of the walls. The appearance of the walls may also help identify certain types of heart disease that predominantly involve the heart muscle. In patients with long standing hypertension or high blood pressure, the test can determine the thickness and "stiffness" of the LV walls. When the LV pump function is reduced in patients with heart failure, the LV and RV tends to dilate or enlarge. Echocardiography can measure the severity of this enlargement. Serial studies performed on an annual basis can gauge the response of treatment.

Pumping function of the heart can be assessed by echocardiography. One can tell if the pumping power of the heart is normal or reduced to a mild or severe degree. This measure is known as an ejection fraction or EF. A normal EF is around 55 to 65%. Numbers below 45% usually represent some decrease in the pumping strength of the heart, while numbers below 30 to 35% are representative of an important decrease.

Echocardiography can also identify if the heart is pumping poorly due to a condition known as cardiomyopathy (pronounced cardio-myo-puth-e), or if one or more isolated areas have depressed movement (due to prior heart attacks). Thus, echocardiography can assess the pumping ability of each chamber of the heart and also the movement of each visualized wall. The decreased movement, in turn, can be graded from mild to severe. In extreme cases, an area affected by a heart attack may have no movement (akinesia, pronounced a-kine-neez-ya), or may even bulge in the opposite direction (dyskinesia, pronounced dis-kine-neez-ya). The latter is seen in patients with aneurysm (pronounced an-new-riz-um ) of the left ventricle or LV. It must be remembered that LV aneurysm due to an old heart attack does not usually rupture or "burst."

Volume status: Low blood pressure can occur in the setting of poor heart function but may also be seen when patient's have a reduced volume of circulating blood (as seen with dehydration, blood loss, use of diuretics or "water pill.", etc.). In many cases, the diagnosis can be made on the basis of history, physical examination and blood tests. However, confusion may be caused when patients have a combination of problems. Echocardiography may help clarify the confusion. The inferior vena cava (the major vein that returns blood from the lower half of the body to the right atrium) is distended or increased in size in patients with heart failure and reduced in caliber when the blood volume is reduced.

Other Uses:
Echocardiography is useful in the diagnosis of fluid in the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart). It also determines when the problem is severe and potentially life-threatening. Other diagnoses made by Doppler or echocardiography include congenital heart diseases, blood clots or tumors within the heart, active infection of the heart valves, abnormal elevation of pressure within the lungs, etc.

How safe is Echocardiography/Echo-Doppler? - Top
Echocardiography/Echo-Doppler is extremely safe. There are no known risks from the clinical use of ultrasound during this type of testing.

How long does it take? - Top
A brief examination in an uncomplicated case may be done within 8-10 minutes. The additional use of Doppler may add an additional 5-10 minutes.