Why is Cardiac Ultrasound the most popular type of heart evaluation?
The echocardiogram has been the most widely-used diagnostic test for heart disease for over 50 years! • A sedative is not needed for an echo. • Injection of a dye is not involved in a regular echo. This can be used to enhance an echo (contrast echo), but is not necessary for all echocardiograms. • You aren’t put in a claustrophobia-inducing machine to do the procedure. Echo is conducted as you lie on a comfortable table. • Echo scanning equipment is readily available in almost all hospitals and clinics. Other new technology may not be available in every healthcare setting. • Echo is not a high priced procedure (typically regular echos cost between $750-$1,500). Other technologies can be much more expensive than getting a conventional echo. In contrast, a visit to get your teeth professionally whitened at the dentist runs $700; and lasic surgery on your eyes can cost over $2,000. • Echo is an accepted procedure for the diagnosis of heart health, a variety of heart diseases and ailments.
