People with high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease, as well as the elderly, please take note! It is really not a hassle to have your heart checked.

People who are most concerned about annual physical examinations:

Have cardiovascular disease

Have a history of high blood pressure

Aged

I have chest tightness, shortness of breath, and palpitations, and I don't know what's going on.

…

I can't wait to go to the hospital to check my heart.

As a result, the doctor said that not only an electrocardiogram

Also do an echocardiogram (color Doppler ultrasound of the heart)

Confused and frowning:

"Is it necessary to repeat the inspection? It's so troublesome?"

“What is an echocardiogram?”

“Isn’t an echocardiogram different from an electrocardiogram?”

Have you ever had such doubts?

Today, Dr. Huaxi will show you

What is the difference between an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram?

Many people may undergo heart examinations when they come to the hospital for check-ups, but they cannot tell the difference between an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram, and often ask why they need to do such "duplicate examinations"?

This starts with the structure of the heart. The heart can be compared to a house, which contains 4 rooms and 4 doors. Echocardiography can observe the size of each room, whether the door can be opened and closed normally, whether there are holes inside, whether the circuit is connected, and whether the structure is stable .

Image source: Photo Network

The electrocardiogram examines the "circuit system" of our heart , reflecting the electrical activities of different surfaces of the heart. Electrodes are placed in different parts of the human body and can be recorded by an "electrocardiograph" with special electrical amplification and recording capabilities.

Image source: Photo Network

When there is a heart disease or it is in the early stages of a disease, the heart's electrical activity will change. An electrocardiogram can help doctors determine whether a patient has arrhythmias such as premature beats and atrial fibrillation, and can also be used to diagnose myocardial ischemia .

Echocardiography and electrocardiography are both commonly used methods for examining and diagnosing heart diseases.

So, can echocardiography replace electrocardiography?

No, echocardiogram and electrocardiogram cannot replace each other . As mentioned earlier, electrocardiogram checks the "circuitry" and echocardiogram checks the "structure". Different examination items have different focuses on disease diagnosis.

In clinical diagnosis, the two complement each other and cannot replace each other. When there is a problem with the heart, we need to analyze the specific problem and choose the examination method reasonably.

1. People who are having a physical examination for the first time

For people who are having their first physical examination and have never had an echocardiogram, it can determine whether there are abnormalities in the structure and function of the heart.

2. People with heart disease

Have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, such as congenital heart disease, valvular disease, heart failure, etc.

3. People with a history of hypertension

Poorly controlled blood pressure can damage the heart and lead to atherosclerosis, heart enlargement, myocardial hypertrophy and other complications. It can provide a basis for early diagnosis, treatment and prognosis assessment of patients with hypertensive heart disease.

4. Older people

The left ventricular diastolic function parameters of the normal population change with age. With age, the left ventricular diastolic function declines, so middle-aged and elderly people should undergo echocardiography regularly.

5. People who need to diagnose or exclude cardiovascular disease

If you experience symptoms such as chest tightness, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, palpitations, lower limb edema, and heart murmurs during auscultation, an echocardiogram is required.

Echocardiography uses the special physical properties of ultrasound to display heart structure and blood flow information, and has the advantage of being non-invasive.

Through this examination, your doctor can accurately determine whether the function of your ventricles and large blood vessels is intact.

Don't worry! This test is super safe, without any radioactivity or toxicity! Don't worry about any radiation effects .

When doing a heart examination, it is generally recommended to lie on the left side because the gas in the lungs moves upward, the heart's acoustic window will be better displayed and the image will be clearer.

Kind tips:

When undergoing a routine transthoracic cardiac color ultrasound examination , no special preparation is required and there is no need to fast. Since the doctor needs to explore the heart through the chest wall, try to wear loose clothing and avoid wearing jumpsuits and skirts.

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts collaborating on this article

References

1. He Wei. What are the indications for echocardiography?[J]. Health Care Guide, 2020(21):86.

2. Huang Min, Hu Fuchang, He Lipin, et al. Early diagnostic value of echocardiographic layered strain technology for hypertensive heart disease[J]. Journal of Practical Electrocardiology, 2021, 30(1): 37-41.

3. Dong Mingqiang. "365 Questions on Health Check-up" [M]. Henan Science and Technology Press, 2022: 222.

4. Li Zhuqin, Zhu Xiangming, Li Guojie, et al. Study on the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function in normal adults of different ages by echocardiography[J]. Journal of Wannan Medical College, 2015(4):382-384. DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1002-0217.2015.04.025.

5. Yu Zhenxue. What does cardiac color Doppler ultrasound check? Teach you how to understand cardiac color Doppler ultrasound[J].

Health Care Literature Review, 2021, 22(7): 33. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1671-

5217.2021.07.033.

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Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty