What does an echocardiogram detect? i know its for diagnosing heart disease, but what kind? can it tell if i have blocked arteries or damage from a heart attack?

An : An echocardiogram is a procedure that uses high frequency ultrasound waves to evaluate your heart.Typically it will assess: • the size of your heart: the size of the pumping chambers, as well as the thickness of the heart muscle • pumping strength: how well is your heart pumping blood • valve problems: an echocardiogram can determine whether your valves leak or if they do not open properly • problems inside the chamber of the heart: this test can help determine if you have a blood clot or tumor inside the chambers of your heart • the walls between the different chambers of the heart (looking for holes in the walls) it can show if you have had a prior heart attack but cannot look directly at the arteries for blockage. A stress test, either a stress echocardiogram or a nuclear stress test, will show you if you have significantly (typically >70%) blockage and can confirm evidence of old heart attack.

Echo: Echocardiogram detects how well the heart is working by calculating an ejection fraction of how much blood it is pumping out. It can also detect valve abnormalities and if certain portions of the heart are functioning properly. I will not see blocked arteries. That is a coronary angiogram.