Can an echocardiogram find an aneurysm? im a 56 yr old man and my father died from an aortic aneurysm at 54. my doctor wants to do an echocardiogram. do you think hes looking for an aneurysm?

The : The short answer is that an echocardiogram can sometimes find an ascending aortic aneurysm if it is relatively close to the heart. It is a good place to start, particularly if this is the type of aneurysm that your father died from. It is safe, non-invasive, and requires no radiation. If it is not seen on echo and there is still a concern, then your doctor may consider a ct scan or an mri. Echo is also important because there sometimes can be valve abnormalites associated with aneurysms.

Aortic aneurysm: Only an ascending aortic aneurysm (one that comes right of the top of your hear) could be detected by echocardiogram. If an abdomimal aneurysm (descending aortic aneurysm or aaa) is what your father died of, an ultrasound of the abdomen or even a ct of the abdomen would detect that.