Echocardiography

What it measures

Pumping strength, expressed as ejection fraction. The size and thickness of each chamber. Whether the four valves open and close properly, and if not, how severe the problem is. Pressures within the heart and lungs, estimated from flow patterns. Fluid around the heart. Any congenital abnormality present since birth.

Transthoracic and transesophageal studies

A transthoracic study is performed from the chest wall and requires no preparation. It answers the great majority of clinical questions.

A transesophageal study places the probe in the oesophagus, immediately behind the heart, under sedation. Because there is no chest wall or lung in the way, it produces far greater detail — necessary when assessing valve infection, searching for clot before rhythm intervention, evaluating a prosthetic valve, or defining a suspected hole in the heart precisely.

Reading your report

Ejection fraction is normally in the range of roughly 55 to 70 per cent, though the number carries meaning only alongside symptoms and context. Valve findings are graded from trivial to severe, and mild findings are extremely common in healthy people — trivial regurgitation of the mitral or tricuspid valve is a normal finding, not a disease.

A report is a set of measurements, not a diagnosis. The interpretation depends on why the test was requested and what you are experiencing, which is why results are best discussed rather than read alone.