By using echocardiography—a technique employing an ultrasound-generating transducer held against the chest wall—cardiologists can observe how the heart functions. Audio and visual recording of the waves rebounding from the heart‘s walls and valves indicate the size, shape, texture and function of these structures. A color Doppler study is used to determine the direction and velocity of blood flow.

Cardiac ultrasound provides us with a highly accurate assessment of heart size, abnormal blood flow and the presence of damaged heart muscle. A newer diagnostic technique, coronary ultrasound, uses high-intensity sound waves to obtain images from within the heart itself, and is an extremely precise method for quantifying the severity of coronary artery disease.