Echovascular Ultrasound

Echovascular ultrasound is a non-invasive procedure that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart and vascular system. The image is more detailed than an X-ray and uses no radiation.

Echovascular Ultrasound is performed to evaluate the valves and chambers of the heart, and the arteries and veins in the neck, arms and legs.  This procedure allows doctors to evaluate heart murmurs, check the pumping function of the heart, and evaluate patients who have had heart attacks. It is a very good screening test for heart disease and peripheral vascular disease.

A trained sonographer performs the test, and a physician interprets the results. An instrument that transmits high-frequency sound waves called a transducer is placed on the ribs near the breast bone and directed toward the heart. The transducer picks up the echoes of the sound waves and transmits them as electrical impulses, creating pictures of the heart and vasculature.