Echocardiography

An echocardiogram is an ultrasound test that takes “moving pictures” of the heart by using high-pitched sound waves which are sent through a device called a transducer. The device picks up echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of your heart. These echoes are turned into moving pictures of your heart that can be seen on a video screen.

Northwest Health System also offers pediatric echocardiography. Pediatric echocardiography is used mainly to detect congenital heart defects in infants and children. It is also used for the evaluation of murmurs and is an essential tool to evaluate the effectiveness of medical therapy and surgical treatments.

About 40,000 children are born with a heart defect each year. Most of these children can benefit from surgery even if the defect is severe. When surgery is necessary, many medical treatments are available to help the heart work properly.