Echocardiography Health Article

Risks

There are no known complications associated with the use of echocardiography. There is a slight risk of having a heart attack during an exercise echocardiogram, due to the stress put on the heart during the test, mostly for patients with a history of heart attack or other risk factors.

Normal results

A normal echocardiogram shows a normal heart structure and the normal flow of blood through the heart chambers and heart valves. However, a normal echocardiogram does not rule out the possibility of heart disease.

An echocardiogram may show a number of abnormalities in the structure and function of the heart, including:

• thickening of the wall of the heart muscle (especially the left ventricle)
• abnormal motion of the heart muscle
• blood leaking backward through the heart valves (regurgitation)
• decreased blood flow through a heart valve (stenosis)

BOOKS

The Patient's Book of Medical Tests. Boston, New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997.

PERIODICALS

Kosoff, George. "Basic Physics and Imaging Characteristics of Ultrasound." World Journal of Surgery 24 (February 2000): 134–142.

Lee, Thomas H., and Charles A. Boucher. "Noninvasive Tests in Patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease." New England Journal of Medicine 344, no. 24 (June 14, 2001): 1840–6.

ORGANIZATIONS

American College of Cardiology. Heart House. 9111 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-1699. (800) 253-4636. <http://www.acc.org>.

American Heart Association National Center. 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231. (800) AHA-USA1. <http://www.americanheart.org>.

American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. 14750 Sweitzer Lane, Suite 100, Laurel, MD 20707-5906. (301) 498-4100. <http://www.aium.org>.

American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. 600 Jefferson Plaza, Suite 360, Rockville, MD 20852-1150. (800) 541-9754. <http://www.ardms.org>.

American Society of Echocardiography. 1500 Sunday Drive, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27607. (919) 787-5181. <http://asecho.org>.

OTHER

Barasch, Eddy. "Why Doctors Use Echocardiography." <http://www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/articles/heart/echo card_3/>.

Jennifer E. Sisk, MA Lee Shratter, MD