 An
echocardiogram is a sonography of the heart. Also known as a cardiac
ultrasound, it uses standard ultrasound techniques to image
two-dimensional slices of the heart. The latest ultrasound systems now
employ three-dimensional real-time imaging.
In addition to creating two-dimensional pictures of the
cardiovascular system, an echocardiogram can also produce accurate
assessment of the velocity of blood and cardiac tissue at any arbitrary
point using pulsed or continuous wave Doppler ultrasound. This allows
assessment of cardiac valve areas and function, any abnormal
communications between the left and right side of the heart, any leaking
of blood through the valves (valvular regurgitation), and calculation of
the cardiac output as well as the ejection fraction.
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