Echocardiography

This technique is performed by completing an echocardiogram both before and after the heart is stressed by either exercise or a medicine that causes the heart to beat harder and faster. This test is typically performed to assess the rate of blood flow to the heart.

This technique, also called a TEE, is an effective diagnostic ultrasound test that allows a physician to examine the heart by way of a tube that is inserted into the esophagus.

Due to the limitations of the traditional echocardiogram, which views the heart through the chest wall, the TEE allows clear images of many parts of the heart’s structures and blood flow that may be quite difficult or impossible to capture otherwise.

This technique, also referred to as a TTE, is the most common type of echocardiography. This procedure obtains views of the heart by moving a transducer to different locations on your chest or abdominal wall.