An echocardiogram (echo) is an imaging test. It helps your doctor evaluate your heart. Here is how it works.

Stress echocardiography, or stress echo, is a test that records images of your heart before and after exercise. By comparing the images, your doctor can tell whether your heart is getting enough blood to meet its increased demand for oxygen.

An exercise stress test shows your heart’s response to exercise. The test records your heartbeat while you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike. It can be done in a hospital, a test center, or a doctor’s office. The test is also called a stress electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG).

This type of echocardiogram uses the drug dobutamine and harmless sound waves to help see if any blood vessels in your heart are blocked.

Cardiac nuclear imaging is also called a “perfusion scan.” A radioactive tracer is delivered into the bloodstream. Then a camera scans the tracer in the blood as it flows through the heart muscle.

You may have had angina, dizziness, or other symptoms of heart trouble. To help diagnose your problem, your doctor may suggest having a cardiac catheterization. This common procedure is sometimes also used to treat a heart problem.

Angiography is a special type of x-ray that allows your coronary arteries to be viewed and recorded on film. Your doctor can see if the blood vessels to your heart are clogged.

Angiography is safe. But any procedure has risks and possible complications. Before you have any procedure, you should understand the possible risks. Here are the common risks for angiography.

Your doctor will talk to you about your heart problem and explain how angioplasty can help. Angioplasty relieves symptoms of coronary artery disease by improving blood flow to your heart.

A stent is a small metal coil or mesh tube that is placed in a narrowed artery through a catheter (a long, thin tube) to help improve blood flow to your heart. The stent permanently holds the passageway open and helps reduce the rate of restenosis, renarrowing of the artery.

Coronary artery bypass surgery creates a path for blood to flow around a blockage and helps prevent a heart attack.

If you have coronary artery disease, bypass surgery can help. It creates a new pathway around the blocked part of your artery. This allows blood to flow again.

Did you know that electrical currents flow throughout your body? Because the strongest of these travels through your heart, doctors are able to monitor your heart by placing electrical sensors on the surface of your skin.

When you feel chest pain from blocked arteries, you might see an interventional cardiologist for treatment.