For the third consecutive time, the echocardiography lab at UTMB is being highlighted for its excellence in high-quality patient care and commitment to quality diagnostic testing.
 
The Intersocietal Accreditation Commission has granted accreditation to the UTMB echo lab through 2015.
 
Echocardiography is a first-line imaging test using ultrasound to examine the heart's movement. By providing pictures of the heart's valves and chambers, the test can assess the heart's size and function, which also determines the presence of many types of heart disease.
 
An echocardiogram is a type of ultrasound test that uses high-pitched sound waves that are sent through a device called a transducer. The device picks up echoes of the sound waves as they bounce off the different parts of your heart. These echoes are turned into moving pictures of your heart that can be seen on a video screen. UTMB is one of only a few centers in the Houston region that offers 3D imaging.
 
UTMB patient James Thornton, 51, undergoes a stress echocardiogram. During the test, an echocardiogram is done both before and after the heart is stressed by injecting a medicine that makes the heart beat harder and faster.
 
With a staff of seven sonographers, UTMB performs an average of 10,000 echocardiograms annually at its three locations.