Questions posted in the
Heart Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
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Subject: Re: Echocardiogram I'm not sure I spelled it right, but oh well. I recently had an ecocardiogram done on my heart and was wondering if this information could tell doctors if I am at risk of any heart problems such as a future heart attack? I would appreciate if anyone knows what all can be determined from an echocardiogram. Thanks.
Dear Aaron, thank you for your question. An echocardiogram can determine the function of the cardiac valves and the pumping function of the left ventricle. An echocardiogram does not directly evaluate the coronary arteries which would be involved in a heart attack when a blood clot causes cessation of blood flow in one of the coronary arteries. However, there are no good tests to determine who may have a heart attack since the processes that cause heart attacks are so diverse and varied, there are no currently available imaging techniques to elucidate this information. I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck! If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
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