WHY HAS MY DOCTOR REQUESTED THIS INVESTIGATION?
An echocardiograph may be ordered if your doctor hears a heart murmur (suggesting a leaking or narrowed heart valve) or if you have severe hypertension (to check for enlargement of the heart) or significant shortness of breath on exertion without an obvious respiratory cause. It is also often performed in individuals with coronary artery disease to assess cardiac function (eg following a heart attack).
An echocardiograph may be ordered if your doctor hears a heart murmur (suggesting a leaking or narrowed heart valve) or if you have severe hypertension (to check for enlargement of the heart) or significant shortness of breath on exertion without an obvious respiratory cause. It is also often performed in individuals with coronary artery disease to assess cardiac function (eg following a heart attack).