Using sound waves to create an image of your heart allows your cardiologist to see how well your heart is pumping, identify many types of heart pathologies and follow the progress of your condition and treatments. At Einstein, we use some of the most advanced technologies, including Doppler and 3D echocardiography, to create a clear and accurate picture of your heart.

Strain imaging allows your cardiologist to see the changing shape and dimensions of your heart as it beats. This provides a more complete picture of how your heart functions and may be used to monitor patients with heart failure, cardiomyopathy or pericardial disease, as well as those who receive certain medications during cancer treatment or have had radiation to their chest.

Making your heart work harder during an electrocardiogram will help your cardiologist to best understand your heart’s condition. This is usually done by having you walk on a treadmill during the test. In some cases, you may be given a medication to make your heart work harder. This test, known as a stress echo, is often used to evaluate patients for coronary artery disease, heart valve disease and other types of heart pathologies.

This procedure uses a small, flexible tube called an endoscope that has electrocardiogram equipment attached. While you are sedated, your doctor will guide the endoscope into your esophagus so that images of your heart can be taken without your ribs or lungs in the way. This procedure can identify blood clots in your heart, and is used to evaluate the risk of stroke for patients with atrial fibrillation, monitor patients during certain types of surgery, or if your cardiologist wants to take a closer look at your heart.

An intracardiac echo uses a catheter to thread the echocardiogram equipment directly into your heart, usually through a blood vessel in your groin. This procedure is usually done while the cardiologist performs other catheter-based procedures, such as a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) or an ablation to treat a heart arrhythmia. It helps your cardiologist see the heart’s structures and minimize complications.

By injecting trace amounts of radioactive dye into a vein and using a special camera that detects the dye, your cardiologist can see how blood flows through your heart and blood vessels, helping to diagnose cardiovascular and heart valve disease.

What does a hemodynamic study do and what are they used for?

Hemodynamic studies can be used to measure blood pressure and blood oxygen levels inside the vessels that supply blood to various organs in your body. This is most commonly used to assess your pulmonary artery, which supplies blood directly to the lungs. A small device is inserted into a blood vessel to get a highly accurate reading. This test may be used to diagnose certain types of heart failure and conditions that may cause the failure of other organs.

CT angiography is a type of X-ray that can provide detailed pictures of the heart and surrounding blood vessels. This can detect blockages and fatty buildup inside major arteries.

OCT scans use infrared light to create images of blood vessels and are often used in conjunction with CT angiography to assess the severity of a blockage and recommend the best course of treatment.

A cardiac MRI can provide some of the most detailed images of your heart. This test may be used to see if there is any tissue damage after a heart attack, to more closely evaluate your heart condition before recommending cardiac catheterization or surgery, and to evaluate the results of your treatment.

An electrocardiogram uses electrode sensors attached to your chest and sometimes your limbs to measure the electrical activity of your heart and map the timing and duration of each electrical phase of your heartbeat. This can help your doctor spot heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation.

Learn more about treatments for heart arrythmias

If your heart muscle is abnormally enlarged, thickened, stiffened or inflamed, your doctor may want to perform a cardiac catheterization to take a small tissue sample. This can help identify the underlying cause of your condition so that your care team can recommend a treatment plan.

Flow reserve tests help your doctor to determine how much blood can flow through parts of arteries that have become narrowed or partially blocked. This helps determine whether it is worth placing a stent to keep the blood vessel open, or if medication and lifestyle changes would be more appropriate.