What Does An Echocardiogram Show?
An echocardiogram is used to show possible abnormalities of the heart structure and function that may be the cause for symptoms thought to be related to heart disease. An echocardiogram shows us the structure and function of the heart. It provides information on the heart pumping function and heart size. It shows us information on the heart valves and other structures in the heart. An echocardiogram also shows patterns of blood flow through the heart.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Who Needs An Echocardiogram?
Patients may be referred for an echocardiogram for a variety of different reasons. It may be due to symptoms concerning for heart disease such as shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, dizziness and other related symptoms. It may be to investigate a murmur heard on physical exam. It may also be to monitor existing heart conditions such as valve problems or heart failure.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Heart Pumping and Relaxing Function
An echocardiogram gives us accurate information on the pumping function of the heart. The echocardiogram will be used to calculate the ejection fraction of the heart, which is the percentage of blood that the heart pumps out with each beat. Normal ejection fraction is 50-60%. The echocardiogram also provides information on the relaxation of the heart. Heart failure can be caused by both pumping and relaxing abnormalities. Echocardiography will show information on both the left and the right side of the heart.
Measurements taken from an echocardiogram can show heart tissue characteristics.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Patients With Chest Pain
In patients with chest pain there are a number of different possible causes, some of which can be assessed by echocardiography. If artery blockages are suspected the echocardiogram may show abnormalities in the walls of the heart supplied by those arteries. These are known as wall motion abnormalities. In cases of pericarditis, which is inflammation of the lining around the heart there may be fluid accumulation around the heart known as a pericardial effusion.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Heart Valve Function
Echocardiograms show structure and function of the 4 valves in the heart. The aortic valve, the mitral valve, the tricuspid valve and the pulmonic valve. They can show abnormalities in valve function such as tight or leaky heart valves. A tight aortic valve is known as aortic stenosis. A leaky aortic valve is known as aortic regurgitation. A tight mitral valve is known as mitral stenosis and a leaky mitral valve is known as mitral regurgitation. Echocardiograms can be used to show the degree of tightening or leakiness of a heart valve and help us to make decisions regarding need for intervention.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Heart Size
Echocardiography is used to provide information on heart size. It can provide accurate dimensions of the chambers of the heart and also the thickness of the heart walls. It can therefore be used to detect heart chamber or wall enlargement known as hypertrophy. Echocardiography will provide information on both the left and right side of the heart.
Measuring Heart Chamber Size
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Patterns Of Blood Flow
Doppler is a type of echocardiography that can show patterns of blood flow through the heart. Doppler can give us an idea of pressures inside the heart and detect those that may be abnormally high. Color Doppler may be used to examine for leaky or tight heart valves.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Advanced Analysis
Most newer generation echocardiography machines will incorporate 3D acquisition that can render the heart as a 3D image showing life like structure and function. Various characteristics such as heart strain can be examined to provide highly detailed information about the heart tissue function. These features are not typically reported on a standard echocardiogram.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Guidance Of Procedures
Echocardiography can be used to guide certain heart procedures such as the Mitraclip procedure, the TAVR procedure, paravalvular leak repair, mitral valvuloplasty, alcohol septal ablation and many others. In many cases advanced techniques such as 3D transesophageal echocardiography may be required. These techniques can provide real-time 3D lifelike images that can guide procedures remarkably well.
What Does An Echocardiogram Show – Surveillance Over Time
Many heart disorders will need to be monitored over time to ensure they stay stable and don’t worsen and to assess response to therapy. Echocardiography is a highly reliable way to show changes in heart structure and function over time.
I just wish these Doctors could get their act together and give us the correct answers…..Is coconut oil good for us or not? That is the question…..
Why do some say it is when some say it is not ????? Just does not make sense to me….
Not sure what this has to do with echocardiograms, however clearly an interesting topic. I had the same thoughts myself this week. I had started using coconut oil over the last few years and was very surprised to read the reports last week basically saying it is no better than other so called harmful saturated fats. It is extremely annoying how recommendations change so frequently and makes it hard to take many nutritional recommendations seriously. In my opinion, if part of a healthy diet with low carb in general, coconut oil is very reasonable.
Given the large amount of people we have been able to help here, we are starting a twitter to help keep heart patients up to date with advances and relevant information. Mine can be followed at @MustafaAhmedMD
The reason that a single advisory statement from the American Heart Association claimed that coconut oil was to be avoided was because it is mostly saturated fats. Saturated fats are bad because they increase LDL. Increased LDL is bad because it is associated with heart disease. So it’s really a chain of implications that lead to this report’s warning. This is known as the saturated fat-cholesterol-heart disease hypothesis advocated by Ancel Keys back in the ’50s and since pretty much disproven, but not discarded.
In fact, if you look at the many, many papers on LDL it turns out that LDL has little effect on heart disease for middle aged men; lowering it with statins produces an absolute beneficial effect of about 1% reduction in all-cause mortality after taking a statin daily for five years. In other words, it increases lifespan by a few days, and statins have significant side effects. On the other hand statins show no benefit for women. And it’s been known since Framingham that LDL is actually protective for older men (you know, the ones who would be concerned about heart disease).
There is ongoing controversy about whether saturated fats are harmful or lead to heart disease. My understanding of the best new research is that saturated fats are not harmful, but processed vegetable oils, especially those having trans fats, definitely are. All fdats are not equivalent. This is hard for nutritionists to swallow.
What are the practical consequences of eating saturated fats? Let’s look at a concrete example: a person who started out with total cholesterol well above 200, making them a candidate for statins. If they go on a well-formulated ketegenic diet they will eat just the carbohydrates that leak into their diet from vegetables, they’ll eat plenty of fatty, red meat as well as chicken and fish, and they will eat the bulk of their calories in the form of fat, mainly saturated fat including lots of coconut oil. After some months on this diet their total cholesterol will drop below 200, their HDL and LDL will increase maybe 25%, but their triglycerides will decline maybe 50%. Their ratio of Total Cholesterol to HDL will probably end up less than 3, meaning they would have about half the average risk for heart disease of someone their age.
The AHA advisory has been attacked for selecting only four studies that support its claim while rejecting many more that refute it, but this is typical of the confusion that classical nutritionists spew out. The many research papers and personal experience of Atkins-type dieters should reassure you that you can eat all the coconut oil you want. Bon apetite.
Dear Dr. Mostafa
Greetings,,
I’m 41 years old female, staying in UAE
I have a regurgitation of mitral valve since 2000
The cardiologist advised me to do a Mitral Valve surgery
I want your opinion
I sent reports on email: info@myheart.net
please try vitalengine.com
What is the purpose of a stress echo? I saw a cardiothoracic surgeon yesterday. He told me that my aortic stenosis is in surgery range. We both agree I am not quite sick enough yet for surgery. My cardiologist is planning next echo in December or January. If there are any changes at all, it’s go time. This surgeon told me he is going to ask my cardiologist to do a stress echo the next time. What is the difference?
A stress echo may be used in aortic stenosis when there is ambiguity as to the severity of the disease or if the severity is borderline. The stress (exercise or dobutamine) may be used to see if the disease is pushed in to a clear severe range that may explain symptoms at time of exertion. It simulates the active state.
Thank you so much. This makes a lot of sense. You explanation is very thorough. I was getting these every year, at the time it was thought I had BAV, but I had no stenosis yet. Last time was 10 years ago. Now they tell me it’s not BAV, but rather a very thick, stiff 3rd commissary that’s difficult to see.
Excelente información, muy agradecida. Mi pregunta: el año pasado (junio) me operaron del corazón accediendo vía torácica, me hicieron 4 by pass y cambio de válvula mitral. Me siento bien a pesar que se me indicó que tengo una hipertrofia ventrículo izquierdo y este tiene una función al 25 %. ¿por qué me siento bien si mi corazón bombea mal?
Agradecida por su comentario