Echocardiography is the ultrasound examination of the heart. Depending on the used ultrasound system, echocardiograms can be two-dimensional slices or 3D real-time images of the heart. Based on the ultrasound principles the direction and speed of blood flow can be utilized e.g., to diagnose a leaking or stenosed valve or to identify intracardiac shunts.

Different types of echocardiography:
The transthoracic echocardiogram (images are taken through the chest wall) is a non-invasive, highly accurate and quick assessment of the overall health of the heart.
A more invasive method is to insert a specialized scope containing an echocardiography transducer (TEE probe) into the esophagus, and record images from there. The advantages are clearer images, since the transducer is closer to the heart.
Contrast echocardiogram (CE) is already a valuable tool to delineate endocardial borders, direct invasive procedures, detect intracardiac shunts, assess myocardial perfusion and viability, and quantify coronary flow reserve and blood volumes (see also hemoglobin). The mechanism of microbubble CE is based on the physical principles of rarefaction and compression, leading to volume pulsations of microbubbles, and it is this change that results in CE signal.
Stress echocardiograms are echocardiography exams used for detection of coronary artery disease.

See also Diastole, Bicycle Stress Echocardiography, Resistive Index, and M-Mode Echocardiography.

From ALOKA Co., Ltd.;
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From Hitachi Medical Corporation (HMC), sales, marketing and service in the US by Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc.
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From Hitachi Medical Corporation (HMC), sales, marketing and service in the US by Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc.;
Powerful, flexible, and fast, the HI VISION™ 8500 - EUB-8500 diagnostic ultrasound scanner combines leading edge technologies with user-oriented operation for exceptional imaging and functionality.
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