I have had a few echocardiograms and the report always says " difficult examination due to poor cardiac window " can I improve it or why do I have a poor window ?
2006-09-02 13:23:40 · 4 answers · asked by Realist 2006 6 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Heart Diseases
Or what is meant by a poor cardiac window ?
2006-09-02 13:29:25 · update #1
I used to be a registered cardiac sonographer about 15 years ago. A poor window is just that...a poor view. It could be due to silicone implants, obesity, copd, small space between ribs, etc. There are different views used to image. Parasternal, where you lay on your left side, and the probe is placed directly above the heart, sub-costal as you lay on your back and they image from your stomach area, and the apical view, again with you laying on your left side and the probe being placed at the apex, or the bottom tip of the heart.
You can improve your window by losing weight, if obesity is the cause. I can say that a very good tech can make their equipment "sing", meaning they can bring out the best in the very worst windows. There are, however,very bad techs out there. If the report is deemed useless, I would demand a second study be done with a different tech...one that is registered. I would also make sure the equipment is not malfunctioning or defective with a bad crystal or torn transducer cord. I hope this helps.
2006-09-02 14:33:45 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
An echocardiogram of the heart is performed with the help of a microphone shaped probe. This test uses sound waves that travel from the surface of your chest to the heart to create a "picture" of the heart. In order to get to your heart, the sound waves have to travel through your ribs, lungs etc. The term poor cardiac window is used when there are any factors that hamper the flow of sound waves from the chest surface to the heart. This could be in the form of thick chest wall, inflated lungs from Emphysema etc. There is more on echocardiogram here:
http://drchander.com/echo.html
2006-09-02 17:24:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am guessing your heart lies at an odd angle and they can't properly visualize all areas. That does not mean there is something wrong, they just can't see what they are looking for.
And no, you can't change or improve the cardiac window. You may wish to find a better echo-cardiologist, one with more experience. He may want you to lie on your side or be upright. Another option is a cardiac catheterisation, if there is a real concern that you have a bad heart valve for example. This is more invasive.
2006-09-02 13:32:28 · answer #3 · answered by schnikey 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cardiac Window
2016-09-30 10:51:21 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋