Which features on echocardiography are used to assess heart disease?

• A. Lung parenchyma and airway patency
• B. Chamber sizes, wall thickness, valvular morphology, and systolic function
• C. Liver enzyme activity
• D. Renal function via glomerular filtration rate

Answer: (B)

Echocardiography focuses on the heart’s structure and how well it pumps. It uses ultrasound to measure chamber sizes, so you can see if the atria or ventricles are enlarged, indicating remodeling or overload. It evaluates wall thickness to detect hypertrophy or thinning from disease processes. It examines valve morphology to identify structural problems like thickened or deformed valves that lead to stenosis or regurgitation. It also assesses systolic function, showing how effectively the heart contracts and ejects blood, with measures like ejection fraction and regional wall motion. Doppler and color flow imaging further illuminate how blood moves across valves and through chambers, refining the assessment of valvular disease and overall function. Other organs such as the lungs, liver, and kidneys are not directly evaluated for heart disease by echo; they’re typically assessed with other tests or imaging, though heart disease can influence their status indirectly.