Echocardiograph
Cardiac Treatments
Also known simply as an “echo,” an echocardiogram is a common diagnostic test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart and its vessels. It may also be called a transthoracic echocardiogram. The word “transthoracic” means “across the chest.”The echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to get a picture of the four heart chambers and the four heart valves. The sound waves bounce back from the heart chambers and valves, producing images and sounds that can be used by the physician to detect damage and disease.Because an echocardiogram does not involve any radiation, as opposed to an x-ray, it is a very safe test. In fact, it utilizes the same technology used to evaluate a baby’s health before birth.