====== Echocardiography ======

see also [[Transesophageal echocardiography]].


An [[echocardiogram]], often referred to as a cardiac echo or simply an echo, is a sonogram of the heart. (It is not abbreviated as ECG, because that is an abbreviation for an electrocardiogram.) Echocardiography uses standard two-dimensional, three-dimensional, and Doppler ultrasound to create images of the heart.

===== Indications =====

[[Neurogenic stress cardiomyopathy]], may appear compatible with
an MI on echocardiography, yet, troponin levels are typically lower (often < 2.8 ng/ml) than would be
predicted given the level of myocardial impairment.
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[[Blood culture]]s and [[LP]] may identify the infectious organism in [[mycotic aneurysm]]s. Patients with suspected [[infectious aneurysm]](s) should undergo [[echocardiography]] to look for signs of [[endocarditis]].
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For [[cardiogenic brain embolism diagnosis]], most centers rely on [[echocardiography]] (without [[transesophageal echocardiography]] ability). Using restricted criteria (i.e., excluding mitral valve prolapse), about 10% of patients with [[ischemic stroke]] will have potential cardiac source detected by echo, and most of these patients have other manifestations of cardiac disease.
In [[stroke]] patients without clinical heart disease, only 1.5% will have a positive echo; the yield is
higher in younger patients without cerebrovascular disease
((Cerebral Embolism Task Force. Cardiogenic Brain
Embolism. Arch Neurol. 1989; 46:727–743)).
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May be used for right atrial catheter placement
((Szczerbicki MR, Michalak M. Echocardiograhic
Placement of Cardiac Tube in Ventriculoatrial Shunt.
Technical Note. J Neurosurg. 1996; 85:723–724)).