What is a transthoracic echocardiogram?
A transthoracic echocardiogram is an ultrasound test that takes pictures of your heart. It's the most common type of echocardiogram, or "echo."
The test uses sound waves to examine your heart and its four chambers, heart valves, and adjacent arteries.
Why am I having a transthoracic echocardiogram?
Healthcare providers often order TTEs for a variety of different reasons. The test can
- Determine heart health before or following a diagnosis and treatment.
- Determine the cause of some symptoms.
- Recognize and diagnose possible medical conditions.
TTE can determine heart health by checking the following:
- Your heart valves;
- How well your heart is pumping blood;
- Whether there is any form of increase in blood pressure with how fast your heart is pumping out.
Also, it determines the size and shape of your heart's chambers.
Determine the cause of cardiac-related symptoms; these include:
- Pain in the chest
- Edema or swelling
- Heart murmur
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, often referred to as dyspnea
TTE is a recommendation for use to screen for, diagnose, or follow-up specific medical conditions, such as:
- Aortic aneurysm or aortic dissection.
- Blood clots.
- Change in electrocardiogram (ECG) results.
- Congenital heart conditions.
- Heart failure.
- Heart valve disease.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
- Tumors (heart cancer).
What is the difference between a transthoracic echocardiogram and a transesophageal echocardiogram?
There are two types of echocardiograms:
- Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE)
- Transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE).
TTE is the most common. It is either noninvasive (no one inserts anything into your body) or minimally invasive (only a small injection). TEE is invasive because a healthcare provider slides an endoscope down your oesophagus.
TEE may be necessary following TTE if a healthcare provider needs clearer or more detailed images.
Who performs a transthoracic echocardiogram?
A primary care provider or cardiologist mostly orders TTE. A sonographer, a technician trained to utilize ultrasound technology, performs the test and then forwards the results to your doctor.
How does transthoracic echocardiography work?
Echocardiography uses ultrasound technology that sends high-frequency sound waves throughout your body. These sound waves tend to bounce off heart tissue and produce "echoes".
Computer technology utilizes those echoes to construct images that depict exactly what your heart appears like as it pulsates. An echo may also use Doppler ultrasound, which can show, measure, and assess blood flow through your heart's chambers and valves.
The test will project the moving images onto a screen so that you and your healthcare provider can view them.
How do you prepare for a transthoracic echocardiogram?
You don't need to prepare for TTE in any special way. You can eat, drink and take all your medications until the test.
What should I know about TTE?
Sometimes, before TTE, a healthcare provider will inject you with a contrast dye into your vein. This will help create images of blood flowing through your heart.
What happens during TTE?
TTE is about an hour long. A sonographer or other health care provider will:
- Have you lie down on an examination table.
- Apply small patches called electrodes to various points on your chest so that one can record your heart rate and rhythm.
- Squirt a special gel onto your skin that will help to transmit the sound.
- Press a transducer sometimes called an ultrasound wand against your skin and move it around. A transducer is like a microphone. It sends sound waves and picks up the echoes.
Call you to remain still, change positions, or breathe in specific ways to acquire more varied or superior images.
Is the use of pre-procedure medication to help you relax during a TTE common?
TTE is a procedure that is not invasive, meaning your healthcare provider will not sedate you.
What is done after a transthoracic echocardiogram?
Once the technician has all the images they will take, they will remove the gel and the electrodes. You can go home immediately, return to your daily routine, and even drive home.
What are the risks of the transthoracic echocardiogram?
There is no risk associated with TTE. The test does not employ radiation or electrical currents. It should be pain-free except for a brief pinch resulting from an injection of a contrast agent via a vein.
When can I expect transthoracic echocardiogram results?
The test technician will share a report with your healthcare provider requesting the test. This process normally takes one or two days. Then, your healthcare provider will get back to you and discuss the results, diagnosis, course of treatment, or further tests required.
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