If you are looking to become a cardiac sonographer, you must understand the basics of echocardiography. This field of study involves using sound waves to create images of the heart. In this blog post, we will discuss three key things you need to know about echocardiography: what it is, what it is used for, and how it is performed.
What It Is
Echocardiography is an ultrasound imaging technique used to create images of the heart. It is helpful in diagnosing and monitoring various conditions that affect the heart, such as congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, valvular diseases, and cardiomyopathy.
What It Is Used For
Echocardiography can be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Diagnostically, echocardiography can be used to detect abnormalities in the structure and function of the heart, including valve dysfunction, dilated chambers of the heart, abnormal wall motion or thicknesses, pericardial effusion (fluid accumulation around the heart), thrombi (blood clots), and tumors.
How Its Performed
Echocardiography is performed by placing an ultrasound transducer on the chest wall over the heart. The sound waves this transducer produces are sent through the chest wall and bounce back off different parts of the heart, producing echoes that can be interpreted as images or graphs on a monitor.
Echocardiography is a valuable tool in diagnosing and monitoring various conditions that affect the heart. It can detect abnormalities in structure and function, assess valve dysfunction, diagnose fluid accumulation around the heart, find thrombi or tumors, and much more.
