Diagnostic Cardiology Specialist
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Vikas Jindal, MD
Cardiologist located in Dallas, TX
When you experience chest pain, or you can’t catch your breath, tests are needed to determine whether your heart is working properly. Diagnostic cardiology includes several tests, which Dr. Vikas Jindal performs at HeartPlace Baylor Heart & Vascular Hospital (stress tests and echocardiograms are some of the most common diagnostic procedures). If you have any heart symptoms, please don’t hesitate to contact his office to schedule a heart checkup and cardiovascular services. Dr. Jindal's office is conveniently located in the heart of Dallas, in the center between Oak Lawn, Uptown, the Design District, Kessler, Cedars, South Dallas/Fairpark, Old East Dallas, and Knox/Henderson. Call or request an appointment online today!
Diagnostic Cardiology Q & A
What information is obtained from an echocardiogram?
Echocardiograms use high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to produce images of your heart’s valves, chambers, blood vessels, and muscular walls. Using these images, Dr. Jindal can see how well your heart is working and diagnose heart disease.
An echocardiogram shows:
- Size and shape of heart
- Thickness and movement of heart walls
- Heart’s pumping strength
- Valve function
- Fluid around the heart
- Presence of blood clots or tumors
- Abnormal holes between chambers
- Health of the outer lining of heart
What are the different types of echocardiograms?
Dr. Jindal can perform one or more of these echocardiograms, depending on the information needed:
Transthoracic echocardiogram
This is a standard, noninvasive echocardiogram performed by spreading gel on your chest and putting an ultrasound transducer against your skin. As the transducer safely sends sound waves through your skin, they bounce off of heart structures and send information to a computer that produces an image.
Transesophageal echocardiogram
A small ultrasound transducer on the end of a flexible tube is gently guided down your throat and into your esophagus. That puts the transducer closer to your heart, where it can get clearer and more detailed images of the upper chambers and valves.
Doppler echocardiogram
Images from a Doppler echocardiogram show blood flow through your heart.
What information is obtained with a stress test?
A stress test measures how your heart functions when you’re active and it’s forced to pump more blood and oxygen throughout the body. The heart’s electrical activity and your breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure are constantly monitored, either while you exercise or as the heart’s activity is increased with medication.
A stress test may be used to:
- Diagnose coronary artery disease
- Show if heart treatment is working
- Determine your tolerable level of exercise
- Reveal if you need other diagnostic tests
- Diagnose an irregular heartbeat
- Determine causes of chest pain
What are the different types of stress tests?
Dr. Jindal may order one of these types of stress tests:
Exercise stress test
You walk on a treadmill while a professional increases its speed and elevation at regular intervals.
Nuclear stress test
The test administrator injects a small amount of radioactive tracer to produce images of blood flow through your heart. They trace your blood flow before the test, subjects your heart to stress using medication or exercise, and trace your blood flow a second time to examine the difference in blood flow when your heart is stressed.
Stress echocardiogram
The test administrator performs an echocardiogram, and you participate in an exercise stress test, then they perform a second echocardiogram as soon as the stress test is finished.