Ultrasounds
HeartCare Associates of Connecticut
Cardiovascular Specialists located in Hamden, East Haven, North Haven, West Haven & Wallingford, CT
Ultrasounds are a vital tool for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and are the safest form of medical scanning technology. When you need to undergo diagnostic tests, you can feel confident in the team of cardiovascular specialists at HeartCare Associates of Connecticut. They use state-of-the-art ultrasound to help them make an accurate diagnosis of your condition. To schedule a consultation, call HeartCare Associates of Connecticut, with locations in Hamden, East Haven, North Haven, West Haven, and Wallingford, Connecticut, or use the online booking tool.
Ultrasounds Q & A
What are ultrasounds?
An ultrasound, which is often called sonography, is a technology that produces accurate images of your internal organs and other tissues. Ultrasounds use sound waves to create these images.
Your provider at HeartCare Associates of Connecticut passes a transducer or handheld sound-emitting device over the area of your body that needs scanning. You can’t hear the sound waves as they’re undetectable within the range of human hearing.
The sound waves bounce off any soft tissues they hit. The resulting pattern they create produces images of the shapes in two dimensions or depending on the technology, 3D as well. Your provider can see the images on a monitor, which you are able to see as well.
What is an ultrasound used for?
Ultrasounds have multiple uses in medicine; HeartCare Associates of Connecticut primarily uses ultrasounds to check your heart function.
They may also use an ultrasound to screen for abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotid artery blockages, and to check for venous insufficiency in your legs, among other conditions.
Using ultrasound technology, your provider or a cardiac sonographer can see your heart working in real-time. This is invaluable in assessing your heart health. The ultrasound technology used for looking at your heart is called an echocardiogram.
What is an echocardiogram?
There are different types of echocardiogram:
Transthoracic echocardiogram
This is the standard echocardiogram that uses a transducer to emit ultrasound beams through your chest.
Transesophageal echocardiogram
Your provider might need images from a transesophageal echocardiogram to get an even clearer picture of your heart. In this procedure, the transducer goes down your throat and your esophagus, so it’s very close to your heart.
Doppler echocardiogram
Doppler signals can help your provider to calculate how fast the blood is flowing in your heart and in what direction. Doppler ultrasounds can highlight blood pressure and blood flow problems in your arteries. Doppler techniques can form a part of both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms.
Stress echocardiogram
If your symptoms are only apparent when you’re physically active, your provider at HeartCare Associates of Connecticut might ask you to do a stress echocardiogram. You need to use equipment such as a treadmill to get your heart rate up to the point where your symptoms start. If you can’t exercise, you can have an injection to make your heart beat like it would if you were running.
To learn more about the ultrasounds available at HeartCare Associates of Connecticut, call your nearest office today or book an appointment online.