Echocardiography, which is called Echocardiography, is an examination of the heart that uses ultrasound to perform an examination of the heart. It is a very safe and completely painless process, but in some cases, the doctor may have to press a little on the device in case the image is not clear This may cause a kind of slight pain, especially for people who suffer from obesity, where the doctor passes a small device over certain areas of the heart, and this device sends ultrasound waves, then picks up its return, or as we call it (echo) and sends it to the computer attached to it Then, the computer analyzes the back waves (echoes) and displays the images on the attached screen. It is a simple examination that does not require large equipment, and the patient can do it in the office of a specialist doctor, so it is not necessarily in an equipped hospital, and it does not usually take more than one hour.
The echocardiogram can detect many diseases that may affect the heart, such as blockage of the heart blood vessels, coronary artery disease, heart valve diseases, their narrowing or failure to perform their duties effectively, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and infections that affect the heart muscle and heart valves. The specialist doctor requests this type of examination if the patient suffers from any heart disease, fatigue or fatigue, or if he feels pain in the area of the heart, or because there is a defect in the valves or chambers of the heart or in the efficiency of the heart''s work, so this examination is for the purpose of identifying Type of disease and its diagnosis. This examination does not concern or see the heart arteries, but the state of the arteries can be known through the areas in which they are connected.
The doctor can know, through an echocardiogram, how the heart works and how its chambers work, as well as how blood flows inside and outside the heart, he can know the strength of the heart muscle, especially after a heart attack, if he wants inflammation of the heart membrane or tumors inside or on the outside of the heart, As well as discovering birth defects if they are present in the heart, the force of contraction of the heart, as well as the condition of the arteries and heart valves. In the event that a more accurate and clear picture is required Echocardiography can be done through the esophagus, and it is by ing a flexible tube through the esophagus to the tube near the heart, and in this case a local anesthetic must be used, and the patient is given drugs to help the esophagus relax and its flexibility. Also, during the echocardiography, the patient may be asked to breathe in a certain way or to lean on a specific side to facilitate the examination. In this examination, some risks may occur, including pain in the throat for the patient, which may extend for hours, and the tube may cause a wound in the throat wall or cause harm, but the latter is a rare case with little occurrence.
