What is
Echocardiography?
An echocardiogram is a noninvasive, harmless, convenient and valuable cardiac diagnostic procedure which uses reflected ultrasound waves to generate images of the heart including the shape, size, texture and motion of the heart chambers and valves, anatomic information about the pericardium and the large blood vessels and physiologic information about blood flow and pressure.
The test enables the anatomic and functional evaluation of the heart, essential to the diagnosis of many acquired and congenital cardiac disease conditions. Our laboratory has adopted the Appropriate Utilization Guidelines within the Standards for Echocardiography in Ontario developed by the Echo Working Group of the Cardiac Care Network of Ontario.
What to Expect
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A clear water soluble gel is placed on your chest to help transmit the sound waves and a transducer which looks like a hand-held microphone is used to rove around your chest to obtain the best possible images recorded from various locations that view the heart and related structures from various angles. The procedure is painless and takes about 30 minutes to complete.
How to Prepare
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No special preparation is required.
Other services we provide
An electrocardiogram or ECG is a recording of the electrical signals of your heart.
Holter monitoring is a small, medical device that measures your heart's activity, such as rate and rhythm.
A stress test usually involves walking on a treadmill while your heart rhythm, blood pressure and breathing are monitored.
A stress echocardiogram tests how well your heart and blood vessels are working, especially under stress.