Our Services
Medical Imaging & Diagnostics

Echocardiography

Echocardiography is an ultrasound examination performed by our team of Clinical Physiologists providing accurate images of the heart muscle, chambers and the heart valves to aid the diagnosis of heart disease.

Echocardiography can provide a wealth of clinical information, including the size and structure of the valves and chambers of the heart, it's pumping capacity and allow visualisation of any abnormalities. By assessing the motion of the heart wall, echocardiography can help assess previous damage due to coronary artery disease.

The biggest advantage of echocardiography is that it uses non-invasive ultrasound and has no known side effects. It can also be used pre and post surgery and alongside specific chemotherapy treatments.

Structures visualised with echocardiography include:

• valves and chambers of the heart
• wall thickness and motion
• pericardium
• intracardiac masses
• ascending and descending aorta

What is involved during an echocardiogram?

Three electrodes (small, flat, sticky patches) and  an ultrasound transducer/probe will be placed on and moved over your chest. You should feel no major discomfort during the examination.

The examination will take approximately 30-40 minutes and results will be reviewed by a cardiologist.

For further information or to arrange an appointment, please contact us:

Healthcare Professionals & Consultants:

• Dr Patrick Donnelly

Dr Patrick Donnelly

• Dr Colm Hanratty

Dr Colm Hanratty

• Dr Mark Spence

Dr Mark Spence

• Dr Frank Casey

Dr Frank Casey

Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children

Dr.Casey is a Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at The Royal Belfast Hospital For Sick Children, which is the Regional Paediatric Cardiology Centre for Northern Ireland. He is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer in The Department of Child Health at Queen`s University Belfast.

He graduated with Honours in Biochemistry from Queens University Belfast, before studying Medicine at University College Cork. He trained in Paediatrics before specialising in Paediatric Cardiology. His training in Paediatric Cardiology included to years as a Clinical Fellow in the Division of Cardiology at The Hospital For Sick Children, Toronto.

His special area of interest is in Echocardiography and he is Director of the Regional Fetal Cardiology service for Northern Ireland. His research interests are in the applications of Telemedicine to Paediatric Cardiology, Fetal Cardiology and the long-term educational and psychosocial outcome for children after surgery for congenital heart disease. Dr. Casey has more than twenty published papers and has given many presentations at international meetings.

• Dr Anthony McClelland

Dr Anthony McClelland

Appointed Consultant Interventional Cardiologist in Craigavon Area Hospital in December 2009.

 

Dr McClelland graduated in Medicine from Christ's College, Cambridge University in 1998. He went on to do his higher training in Cardiology in the Royal Victoria and the Belfast City hospitals, Belfast. Awarded MD 2005 (Queen's University Belfast). He trained in interventional cardiology as a Fellow in Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Austrailia (2006-08). Appointed Consultant Cardiologist in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry in November 2008.

 

His special interests include diagnosis and treatment of coronary disease including emergency and elective PCI (Stenting).