Can an echocardiogram help diagnose atrial fibrillation?
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Dr. Michael Roizen answered:Not usually, but it can help show the cause or what complications are likely. Remember when you were a kid and you’d climb a hill, call out your name, and then listen for the echo? (And isn’t it amazing how little it took to amuse kids back then?) An echocardiogram puts this principle to work by bouncing sound waves off your heart. A technician moves a transducer that sends out sound waves around your chest. The echo is recorded and a computer converts the echoed sound waves into a moving picture on a screen. Your doctor will use the images to check
- the size and shape of your heart.
- how your heart chambers and valves are working.
- how well your blood is flowing.
Based on what he sees, he will be able to figure out whether or not you are experiencing atrial fibrillation or its major complication (if you have a clot in your heart from it).
Not usually, but it can help show the cause or what complications are likely. Remember when you were a kid and you’d climb a hill, call out your name, and then listen for the echo? (And isn’t it amazing how little it took to amuse kids... More -
Dr. Douglas Severance answered:Your doctor may use an echocardiogram, or echo test, when diagnosing the problem of atrial fibrillation. The echocardiogram uses an ultrasound probe with sound waves to produce images of your heart. The sound waves allow your doctor see a moving picture of your heart. The echocardiogram can tell him or her more about your heart's function, the size of the heart and its chambers, and how well your heart valves are working. With the echo test, your doctor can pinpoint places in your heart where blood flow may be poor or that have suffered previous injuries.Your doctor may use an echocardiogram, or echo test, when diagnosing the problem of atrial fibrillation. The echocardiogram uses an ultrasound probe with sound waves to produce images of your heart. The sound waves allow your doctor see a... More
