Diagnostics
Stress echocardiography
In stress echocardiography, a transthoracic echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) is performed together with an exercise EKG. This allows Dr. Hierl to assess your heart function more precisely during physical effort.
How is the examination performed?
Your heart is first examined at rest with ultrasound. It is then loaded step by step – usually by pedalling on a bicycle ergometer, in some cases with a medication that raises the heart rate as exercise would. Further ultrasound images are taken during and immediately after the load. EKG, blood pressure and how you feel are monitored throughout. This allows a direct comparison of the heart muscle at rest and under load. The examination usually takes about 30 minutes.
What can it show?
The key finding is wall motion: a healthy heart muscle pumps more strongly under load. If a region fails to increase its performance, this suggests reduced blood flow. The examination can show:
- Reduced blood flow to the heart muscle (coronary heart disease) that become visible only under load
- the pumping strength and the reserve capacity of the heart
- the function of the heart valves under load
- the relevance of already known findings for your exercise capacity
How accurate is the examination?
Stress echocardiography detects reduced coronary blood flow more reliably than an exercise EKG alone, because it shows the pumping motion of the heart muscle directly. It uses neither X-rays nor radioactive substances. It is therefore an informative and relatively gentle method for investigating coronary heart disease.
Benefits at a glance
- More informative than an exercise EKG alone.
- No radiation and no radioactive agents.
- Direct comparison of heart function at rest and under load.
- Also possible with limited exercise capacity using medication.
