Echocardiograms are ultrasound scans of the heart to examine the heart's structure and function. It provides very useful information particularly when evaluating symptoms that someone may have including shortness of breath, palpitations, chest pain and when blood pressure is raised.
The most commonly performed test is a transthoracic scan that involves a small amount of ultrasound gel placed on the skin of the chest and then the sonographer scans the heart using an ultrasound probe. In some situations, a more involved procedure can also be performed where under sedation, the probe is placed from the mouth to the oesophagus just before the stomach and given the probe is much closer to the heart, the level of information provided can be more clear. This may be performed when further information is needed to assess specific heart valve conditions or to look for any evidence of small clots within the chambers of the heart.
