CORONARY ANGIOGRAPHY (CARDIAC CATHETERISATION)
Dr. Richard Mansfield
BSc (Hons) MB ChB MD FRCP FESC
CONSULTANT CARDIOLOGIST
Note: I am happy to answer general questions regarding the content of this website, but I cannot give clinical advice. Such requests will not be answered.
An echocardiogram is a safe and comfortable test, which uses ultrasound to acquire images of the heart. This is the same technology that is used to scan pregnant women.
A probe is placed on the front of the chest with some jelly to enhance the signal and a number of pictures are taken of the heart with the patient laid on a couch on their left side. This allows the operator to look at the over-all pump function of the heart and to see whether or not any of the cardiac chambers are enlarged. It also allows detailed analysis of the heart valves.
Echocardiogram - This is a sophisticated ultrasound machine that can provide detailed information about the heart. It is safe and not uncomfortable.
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Echocardiography Room
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Echocardiogram 1 - This is an ultrasound image showing all four chambers of the heart.
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Echocardiogram 2 - This ultrasound image shows the aortic and mitral valves as well as the main heart chambers.
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This test combines an echocardiogram with either exercise or an infusion of a drug to put the heart under some additional strain. By looking at the function of the heart muscle in this way it may be possible to see if there is a problem with blood flow. It is a useful alternative for those patients who cannot manage an exercise treadmill test and to investigate chest pain/angina.
Stress Echocardiogram
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This investigation is used to look at 'holes in the heart' called patent foramen ovale or atrial septal defects. A small amount of salt solution is mixed with the patient's blood to create a froth, which is injected into a vein. An echocardiogram is then performed to see if any of the tiny bubbles in the froth pass in an unusual direction through the heart. Although it may seem like a strange test it is perfectly safe!
It is occasionally necessary to gain some further detail of the heart using ultrasound and requires the placement of a fine probe in the gullet under sedation. Sedation is administered through a small tube (cannula) placed in the back of the hand. It is carried out as a day case procedure and patients need to starve for 4 hours beforehand. This is a particularly good test for looking at specific valve disease and other cardiac conditions.
Transoesophageal Echocardiogram (TOE)
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