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Echocardiography is a test that uses sound waves to produce live images of your heart. The image is an echocardiogram. This test allows your doctor to monitor how your heart and its valves are functioning. The images can help them spot: • blood clots in the heart • fluid in the sac around the heart • problems with the aorta, which is the main artery connected to the heart During the procedure, a transducer (like a microphone) sends out sound waves at a frequency too high to be heard. When the transducer is placed on the chest at certain locations and angles, the sound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the heart tissues, where the waves bounce or “echo” off of the heart structures. These sound waves are sent to a computer that can create moving images of the heart walls and valves. Why do people need an echo test? Your doctor may use an echo test to look at your heart’s structure and check how well your heart functions. The test helps your doctor find out: • The size and shape of your heart, and the size, thickness and movement of your heart’s walls. • How your heart moves. • The heart’s pumping strength. • If the heart valves are working correctly. • If blood is leaking backwards through your heart valves (regurgitation). • If the heart valves are too narrow (stenosis). • If there is a tumor or infectious growth around your heart valves. What are the types of echocardiography? There are several different types of echocardiograms. • Transthoracic echocardiography: This is the most common type of echocardiography. It’s painless and noninvasive. A device called a transducer will be placed on your chest over your heart. The transducer sends ultrasound waves through your chest toward your heart. A computer interprets the sound waves as they bounce back to the transducer. This produces the live images that are shown on a monitor. • Transesophageal echocardiography: If a transthoracic echocardiogram doesn’t produce definitive images, your doctor may recommend a transesophageal echocardiogram. In this procedure, the doctor guides a much smaller transducer down your throat through a thin, flexible tube in your mouth. They will numb your throat to make this procedure easier. This tube is guided through your esophagus, the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. • Stress echocardiogram: A stress echocardiogram uses traditional transthoracic echocardiography. However, the procedure is done after you’ve exercised or taken medication to make your heart beat faster. This allows your doctor to test how your heart performs under stress. • Three-dimensional echocardiography: A three-dimensional (3-D) echocardiogram uses either transesophageal or transthoracic echocardiography to create a 3-D image of your heart. This involves multiple images from different angles. It’s used prior to heart valve surgery. It’s also used to diagnose heart problems in children. • Fetal echocardiography: Fetal echocardiography is used on expectant mothers sometime during weeks 18 to 22 of pregnancy. The transducer is placed over the woman’s belly to check for heart problems in the fetus. The test is considered safe for an unborn child because it doesn’t use radiation, unlike an X-ray.