Echocardiogram or “Echo”

An echo is a simple test that uses sound waves to image your heart and allows doctors to assess the strength of your heart muscle, the function of the heart valves, and the presence of some other diseases of the heart. You lie on a bed and an ultrasound sensor is moved over the surface of your chest. It is a painless test that takes about half an hour. If the pictures obtained in this way are not clear enough, sometimes the echo is obtained by swallowing a small tube into your food pipe or esophagus and excellent pictures can be obtained. In that case, you will receive a light anesthetic.

What it shows

  • The thickness of your heart muscle
  • The size of the chambers in your heart
  • The pumping action of your heart
  • The working action of heart valves
  • The amount of blood that is pumped out of the heart with each beat (Ejection Fraction)

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