• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

4309 Emperor Blvd #125, Durham, NC 27703

Blog

FAQ

Forms

First Visits

Finance & Insurance

919-873-4437

Imperial Center Family Medicine site logo

Imperial Center Family Medicine

Advanced Medical Care and Exceptional Customer Service

  • Practice Services
    • Screening & Management
      • Adult Immunizations
      • Asthma Management
      • Cancer Screening
      • Cholesterol Management
      • Blood Pressure Management
      • Diabetes Screening & Care
      • Preventative Care
      • Weight Management
    • Womens Wellness
      • Birth Control
      • Cancer Screening / Pap Smear
    • Mental Wellness
      • Anxiety Management
      • Depression Management
  • About
    • Maps & Directions
    • Providers
    • Staff
    • FAQ
    • Forms
    • First Visit
    • Finance & Insurance
  • Contact
  • Patient Portal
  • Schedule Appointment

Echocardiography

Echocardiography is a type of medical procedure that utilizes sound waves to create real-time images of the heart. The resulting visual is called an echocardiogram. This test reveals whether your heart and its valves are properly functioning.

transesophageal echocardiographyThese images can help reveal issues such as:

  • Blood clots in your heart’s chambers
  • Excessive heart pressure
  • Fluid in the sac surrounding your heart
  • Issues with the aorta (the primary artery)
  • Issues with the valves or your heart’s pumping function

In cases involving unborn children, an echocardiogram can show heart defects.

Types Of Echocardiography

There are various types of echocardiogram tests, including:

Transthoracic Echocardiography

One of the most frequent kinds of echocardiograms, transthoracic echocardiography is noninvasive and painless. An examiner will place a device known as a transducer on your chest directly over your heart to produce ultrasound waves. A machine will then interpret these waves in the form of images.

Fetal Echocardiography

As its name suggests, this type of echocardiogram is used to detect heart issues in fetuses. Women who are 18 to 22 weeks pregnant typically undergo echocardiography to see if their child has any heart problems.

Transesophageal Echocardiography

This echocardiogram involves inserting a small transducer into the throat to examine your heart’s condition. Your throat will typically be numbed to prevent a gag reflex. This procedure allows physicians to see certain chambers of your heart that aren’t visible on other echocardiograms.

Stress Echocardiography

echocardiogramThis is similar to a transthoracic echocardiogram but is performed before and after you’ve taken heart medications or done some form of exercise. This reveals how your heart functions during stressful circumstances.

Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

This type of echocardiogram produces 3-D images of the heart using either transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography. These pictures can be taken from various angles. Three-dimensional is often utilized to detect heart issues in children and performed before heart valve surgery.

Risks Of Echocardiography

Echocardiography is extremely safe because it doesn’t use radiation like X-rays. In the case of a transthoracic echocardiogram, you may feel a little bit of discomfort after your doctor takes the EKG electrodes off your skin. When contrast injection is utilized, you may have an allergic reaction. Therefore, you should not take this injection if you’re pregnant.

In the case of a stress echocardiogram, the medication could momentarily induce a heart attack or an irregular heartbeat. There’s no real recovery time for most echocardiograms. If you undergo a transesophageal echocardiogram, you will likely feel a sore throat for approximately 2 hours after the procedure.

Get Quality Care From Imperial Family Medicine

Reach out to the professionals at Imperial Center Family Medicine in North Carolina to learn more about echocardiography. We have been providing adults and children aged 6 and older with high-quality medical care since 1999. Call us at 919-941-0158 or visit us online for more information.

Need To Talk To A Provider?

Contact Us Schedule Appointment

Primary Sidebar

Our Services

  • Adult Immunizations
  • Anxiety Management
  • Asthma Management
  • Birth Control
  • Blood Pressure Management
  • Cancer Screening
  • Pap Smear / Cervical Cancer Screening
  • Cholesterol Screening & Management
  • Depression Management
  • Diabetes Screening & Care
  • On-Site Quest Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Preventative Care
  • Weight Management
  • Womens Wellness

*Legal Disclaimer

Articles published by Imperial Center Family Medicine are purely for educational purposes and provides generalized information of the topic(s) covered. These articles should not be considered as medical advice.

Please contact the primary care providers at Imperial Center Family Medicine for more information.

Footer

Imperial Center Family Medicine

4309 Emperor Blvd #125 Durham, NC 27703 919-873-4437 919-474-3130

Link to company Facebook page

Schedule an Appointment

Resources

  • Blog
  • FAQ
  • Finance & Insurance
  • First Visit
  • On-Site Quest Diagnostics Laboratory
  • Patient Forms
  • Patient Portal

Mental Wellness

  • Anxiety Management
  • Depression Management

Women’s Health

  • Birth Control
  • Pap Smear / Cervical Cancer Screening
  • Womens Wellness

Screening and Management

  • Adult Immunizations
  • Asthma
  • Blood Pressure
  • Cancer
  • Cholesterol
  • Diabetes
  • Preventative Care
  • Weight Management