Sonography competences for the heart
Sonography of the heart, also called echocardiography, provides an insight into the vessels of the heart, as well as measuring the blood flow. This is an easy and very effective way to show the function and structure of the heart. Patients do not need to worry about any side effects. There are two types of sonography of the heart: transthoracic echocardiography, in which the doctor places the ultrasound probe on the chest, and transoesophageal echocardiography, in which the heart is examined from the oesophagus, similar to a gastroscopy. These different methods and the recommendation when to use either of the two types of sonography will be explained in this lecture.