Paediatric Echocardiogram
£500
What is an Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram, or “echo”, is a scan used to look at your child’s heart and nearby blood vessels.
It’s a type of ultrasound scan – a small probe is used to send out high-frequency sound waves that create echoes when they bounce off different parts of the body.
These echoes are picked up by the probe and turned into a moving image on a monitor while the scan is carried out.
An echocardiogram may be requested by a heart specialist (cardiologist) or any doctor who thinks your child might have a problem with their heart, including your GP.
Why would my child need an Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram can help diagnose and monitor certain heart conditions by checking the structure of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. This occurs by analysing how blood flows through the heart and assessing the pumping chambers of the heart.
An echocardiogram can help detect:
- Heart Failure – This is when the heart fails to pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure. The echocardiogram can show how badly weakened the heart wall muscles are and the exact pressure at which the heart is pumping. Repeated scans over time can show if this is improving or worsening.
- Heart Valve problems – Sometimes the heart valves can be too ‘tight’ and prevent the heart from pumping adequate blood around the body, or they may be too ‘leaky’ and cause the heart to become enlarged.
- Congenital Heart Disease – Many birth defects can prevent the heart from functioning normally.
- Cardiomyopathy – The heart walls become thickened and enlarged due to various causes, including viral and congenital.
- Endocarditis – An infection of the heart valves which can cause permanent damage.
Further Information
How does my child prepare for an Echocardiogram?
On the day of the echocardiogram, your child can eat and drink as they normally would.
What happens during a Transthoracic Echocardiogram?
Your child will be asked to remove their clothing from the waist up. Your cardiac physiologist (sonographer) will place three electrodes (small, flat, sticky patches) on their chest. The electrodes are attached to an electrocardiograph monitor (ECG) that charts the heart’s electrical activity.
The sonographer will ask your child to lie on their left side on an exam table. He or she will place a wand (called a sound-wave transducer) on several areas of the chest. The wand will have a small amount of gel on the end, which will not harm their skin. The gel is used to help produce clearer pictures.
Sounds are part of the Doppler signal. Your child may or may not hear the sounds during the test. They will be asked to change positions several times during the exam to allow the sonographer to take pictures of different areas of their heart. They may also be asked to hold their breath at times during the exam.
Your child should feel no major discomfort during the test, although they will feel coolness from the gel on the transducer and a slight pressure of the transducer on their chest.
What are the risks of an Echocardiogram?
There are no risks from an echocardiogram.
Video
Download Information LeafletThe Team
