It can show the anatomy, and show normal and abnormal areas of blood flow with the use of Doppler echocardiography. It is extremely useful and has in fact revolutionized cardiology, especially pediatric cardiology. It can demonstrate critical heart defects in babies or fetuses, and structural or valve abnormalities in other children. It is therefore indicated as firstline noninvasive test to evaluate the cardiac anatomy whenever there is a suspicion of a cardiac defect. However, there are limitations to the test.
Echocardiograms are expensive, time consuming and require a cooperative patient to perform properly.
In addition, sound does not travel well through everyone, so that the pictures are not always clear. For these reasons, strong suspicion of a heart defect ought to be present and a knowledge of the limitations of the test should be present before it is done. These tend to be more routine measurements and frequently do not require the same resolution as the indication for the evaluation of structural defects. Sometimes the test is misused, as other tests are more appropriate or not even indicated. Examples are for an innocent murmur , palpitations , chest pain , or fainting.