ECHOCARDIOGRAM This ultrasound of the chest shows detailed images of the heart's structure and function and can reveal whether you've had a heart attack. It gives your doctor a view of how the heart muscle is squeezing and how the valves are working. Leaky or narrowed valves can show up, as can blood clots. Sometimes cardiologists perform an echocardiogram by inserting a device down the throat to look at your heart from behind. This is called a transesophageal echocardiogram. CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION Sometimes called a coronary angiogram, this involves a cardiologist threading a tube into a vein or an artery in your leg or arm. With the help of X-ray, your doctor guides the catheter through your vessel until it reaches your heart, where dye can be injected to help him or her see blood flow and check for abnormalities. Your cardiologist also can open up a blockage with a balloon and stent during the procedure. CT SCAN Short for computerized tomography, this noninvasive method of looking at the coronary arteries is used to spot blockages as an alternative to catheterization. MRI Used increasingly in cardiology, magnetic resonance imaging involves a patient lying on a table inside a tubelike machine that produces a magnetic field. It takes detailed pictures and is considered the gold standard for assessing heart function. HOLTER MONITORING For this test, you typically wear a heart monitor for 24 hours to give your cardiologist insight into your heart activity over time. Some people need longer-term monitoring and might wear a monitor for a month. Others who have rhythm abnormalities that emerge infrequently might have an implanted monitor. ■ SUMME R 2017 45