Preparation: Women, please wear slacks or a skirt.
Duration: 45 minutes to 1 hour
This procedure provides a video picture of the heart by the use of sound waves. The technician will place a transducer (microphone) on your chest to send and receive sound waves and record them on a videocassette. These sound waves provide a picture of the heart's chambers and valves. This procedure does not look at blood vessels (coronary arteries) that supply the heart with blood. The sound waves are harmless and cause no pain. You will lie on a comfortable bed in a darkened room. No injections or radiation are involved in this procedure.
