About Cardiac Ultrasonography

According to the Mayo Clinic, cardiac ultrasonography, more commonly called echocardiogram or echocardiography, is a medical procedure that employs sound waves to generate images of the heart or blood moving through it. It is, generally, a non-invasive procedure.

Types

• There are four types of echocardiogram: transthoracic, transesophageal, doppler and stress. The transthoracic is the most commonly used of the techniques.

How it works

• The procedure exposes the heart to high frequency sounds waves that are altered and reflected, in part, by the tissues. The reflected sound waves are converted by a computer into a visual image of the heart.

Procedure

• The procedure for a transthoracic echocardiogram is simple. Typically, a medical professional applies a gel to the chest of the patient and presses a device called a transducer against the chest to transmit and receive the sound waves.

Uses

• Properly performed, cardiac ultrasonography can help a cardiologist diagnose problems with the valves, chambers or pumping action of the heart, reports the Mayo Clinic. It may also be used to assess congenital heart defects.

Safety

• Heartsite.com notes that there are no known risks for standard, transthoracic echocardiography examinations. Cardiac ultrasonography is even considered safe for infants.