Echocardiography:

Using the art of imaging with ultrasound to view the structure and function of the heart in real time. Ultrasound imaging is incredibly informative, non-invasive, and safe diagnostic in both veterinary and human medical practice. This imaging technique uses high frequency sound waves emitted from a handheld transducer (probe) to produce an ultrasound beam. The beam is reflected off the tissues in the chest and heart back to the transducer to create an image of the heart in motion. Several types of echocardiography are used to show the structure of the heart walls, chambers, and valves (2- or 3-dimensional echocardiography), blood flow direction and velocity (Doppler echocardiography, including color, pulsed and continuous wave) and heart wall motion velocity (Tissue Doppler echocardiography).

Some pets with heart disease have symptoms, including cough, difficulty breathing, exercise intolerance, or fainting. Other pets may not have symptoms but may have a heart murmur or irregular rhythm. Routine screenings for breeds prone to heart disease or for pre-breeding purposes are also sometimes performed. If you have concerns that your pet may have heart disease, please discuss this with your veterinarian to determine if your pet should have an echocardiogram.

Echocardiography is considered the best test for diagnosis of heart disease because it gives a cardiologist an image of the inside of the heart to determine how well the heart muscle is pumping, how well the valves are working and whether any defects are present inside the heart. Although echocardiography is the best diagnostic to evaluate the heart’s structure and function, the cardiologist may also need to examine chest radiographs (to look for fluid in the lungs=congestive heart failure), an electrocardiogram (to evaluate the heart’s electrical rhythm), blood pressure and or bloodwork. All these diagnostics together give the cardiologist a fuller picture of your pet’s health. Your regular veterinarian and the cardiologist should work together to assess your pet’s health and devise the best plan possible for the best possible outcome.