An echocardiogram, or "echo", is a scan used to look at the heart and nearby blood vessels.

It’s a type of ultrasound scan, which means 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.

When an echocardiogram is used

An echocardiogram can help diagnose and monitor certain heart conditions by checking the structure of the heart and surrounding blood vessels, analysing how blood flows through them, and assessing the pumping chambers of the heart.

An echocardiogram can help detect:

  • heart attack
  • heart failure
  • congenital heart disease
  • problems with the heart valves
  • cardiomyopathy
  • endocarditis

An echocardiogram can also help your doctors decide on the best treatment for these conditions.