About Stress Echocardiography
We can combine an exercise treadmill test with an echocardiogram, which has the benefit of providing information from both of these tests. Furthermore, a stress echocardiogram is generally a more accurate stress test than a regular treadmill test, which will sometimes show some abnormalities on the EKG that may not actually indicate a real problem—we call this a “false positive” test. The images from the echocardiogram can help clarify whether there is truly a heart problem or not. Also, we can use a chemical called “dobutamine” to stimulate the heart as part of a “chemical stress test” in patients who aren’t able to exercise on a treadmill.