What is an Echocardiogram?

An echocardiogram is a specialized ultrasound machine that creates a video image of the beating heart. This non-invasive test is often used to identify problems with heart muscle and valves. It is a fast, easy, and painless evaluation that uses ultrasound waves to produce images of the heart. It evaluates your heart’s performance as well as the inside, including the heart chambers and valves. An echo may sometimes also be used to look for the cause of a heart murmur, to check the size of the heart chambers, for fluid around the heart, or to inspect the pumping capability of the heart, if a patient is short of breath or has other symptoms.