The tape offers a permanent record of the examination and is reviewed by the physician prior to completion of the final report. During the Doppler examination, the ultrasound beams will evaluate the flow of blood as it makes it way though and out of the heart. The appearance of the walls may also help identify certain types of heart disease that predominantly involve the heart muscle. When the LV pump function is reduced in patients with heart failure, the LV and RV tends to dilate or enlarge. Echocardiography can measure the severity of this enlargement.
Serial studies performed on an annual basis can gauge the response of treatment.
Pumping function of the heart can be assessed by echocardiography. One can tell if the pumping power of the heart is normal or reduced to a mild or severe degree. Thus, echocardiography can assess the pumping ability of each chamber of the heart and also the movement of each visualized wall. The decreased movement, in turn, can be graded from mild to severe. Please note that you can review cardiac anatomy and physiology by clicking here.