Echocardiography Laboratory Services
| Most examinations take
between 45 minutes and 1 hour. |
| Transthoracic Echocardiography |
| This study is an ultrasound examination of the heart using a transducer on the patient's chest. We use color images to identify the flow of blood through the heart. Spectral waveforms measure the speed of the blood flow through the heart. When we measure the speed of the flow, you may also hear the sound made by the blood flow. |
| Transeophageal Echocardiography |
| The transeophageal echo is
done usually as a follow-up examination for certain cardiac rhythms or
questions as a result of the transthoracic study. |
| This study is performed by a
cardiologist with a sonographer assisting. Patients are given
medication to relax them. The cardiologist inserts a gastric tube
into the patient's esophagus to look at the heart. This procedure
allows the cardiologist to see pictures of the heart that cannot be
clearly seen from the chest wall. |
| For this study, the patient must not eat for at least six hours prior to the exam. If this exam is done as an outpatient, it is recommended that someone bring the patient to the lab and drive the patient home because of the medications given. |
| Stress Echocardiography |
| The stress echo is performed
by obtaining cardiac images from the chest wall prior to the patient
walking on a treadmill and again immediately after the patient reaches a
target heart rate level. This test provides information about the
effect of exercise on the patient's heart. |
| For this study, the patient should dress in comfortable walking shoes and clothing. It is preferred that the patient not eat for at least two hours prior to the test. |
| Pharmacological Stress Echocardiography |
| Pharmacological stress echo
is for those patients who cannot exercise on a treadmill. |
| This exam is performed in
four segments. The first segment is done by obtaining resting images
of the heart from four different views. Medication is started to
elevate the heart rate. The second segment obtains a repeat of the
previous images during this low dose of medication. When the
medication has increased the heart rate to a target rate, the third
segment is obtained by repeating the previous images. When the heart
returns to the starting rate, another repeat of the previous images is
obtained and the study is complete. Each group of images is
evaluated for changes in the heart action during the four segments of
study. |
| The patient must not eat for at least two hours prior to this exam. |
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