What is echocardiography?
Echocardiography is a diagnostic test that uses soundwaves to produce images of your heart in real-time. This type of screening allows the team at New York Specialty Clinics to monitor your heart and heart valve function.
Echocardiography plays a crucial role in determining heart health, especially after a heart attack. It can also diagnose heart abnormalities or defects in unborn babies.
What conditions can echocardiography diagnose?
At New York Specialty Clinics, the team uses echocardiography to diagnose various heart-related health problems, including:
- Blood clots in the heart chambers
- Pressure in the heart muscle
- Problems with heart valve function
- Fluid in the sac around the heart
- Abnormalities with the aorta
- Irregular heartbeats (arrhythmia)
The team might also recommend echocardiography if they suspect a problem with the pumping or relaxation functions of your heart.
What are the types of echocardiography?
The team at New York Specialty Clinics offers several types of echocardiography, including:
Transthoracic echocardiography
Transthoracic echocardiography is pain-free and entirely non-invasive. During treatment, your provider places a device called a transducer on top of your chest. The transducer emits high-frequency sound waves through your chest toward your heart. The sound waves bounce back, and a computer interprets them into live images.
Transesophageal echocardiography
If a transthoracic echocardiogram doesn’t provide enough information to make a diagnosis, the team at New York Specialty Clinics might recommend a transesophageal echocardiogram.
Before insertion, your provider administers a local anesthetic to numb your throat and gag reflex. Once the anesthesia sets in, they feed a small transducer through your mouth and down your throat until it’s directly behind your heart. This allows your provider to see the chambers in your heart in greater detail.
Stress echocardiography
If the team suspects you have an exercise-related heart problem, they might recommend a stress echocardiogram. This procedure is very similar to transthoracic echocardiography. The only difference is that you exercise or take medication to make your heart beat faster before the exam.
How long does it take to receive echocardiography results?
Following your echocardiogram, it takes 20-30 minutes for your New York Specialty Clinics provider to measure and interpret the images. If your provider detects any abnormalities or areas of concern, they can refer you to a cardiologist. Your provider might also recommend undergoing several other diagnostic tests.
To learn more about echocardiography, schedule an appointment at New York Specialty Clinics. Call the nearest office or book online today.
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