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Diagnostic Testing: Difference between revisions
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==Electrocardiography (ECG)== | ==Electrocardiography (ECG)== | ||
[[Image:Nsr.png|400px|thumb|'''Figure 1.''' A short ECG registration of the normal heart rhythm (sinus rhythm).]] | [[Image:Nsr.png|400px|thumb|'''Figure 1.''' A short ECG registration of the normal heart rhythm (sinus rhythm). Source: Ecgpedia.org]] | ||
The electrocardiogram asses the electrical activity of the human heart and translates this into a graphic representation. In ''Figure 1'' the body location for the 10 electrodes of a 12-channel ECG are shown. The exact placement of the electrodes is of utmost importance in obtaining an interpretable ECG. The ECG is a graphic representation of the difference in voltage between the patches over time. | The electrocardiogram asses the electrical activity of the human heart and translates this into a graphic representation. In ''Figure 1'' the body location for the 10 electrodes of a 12-channel ECG are shown. The exact placement of the electrodes is of utmost importance in obtaining an interpretable ECG. The ECG is a graphic representation of the difference in voltage between the patches over time. | ||
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===Conduction=== | ===Conduction=== | ||
[[Image:QRSwaves.jpg|300px|thumb|'''Figure 2.''' A representation of the several intervals of an ECG.]] | [[Image:QRSwaves.jpg|300px|thumb|'''Figure 2.''' A representation of the several intervals of an ECG. Source: Ecgpedia.org]] | ||
====PQ interval==== | ====PQ interval==== | ||
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With TEE a smaller ultrasound probe is placed on a gastroscopic device for introduction in the oesophagus behind the heart. Besides overcoming structural problems, in general TEE produces much higher resolution images of posterior cardiac structures. With TEE left atrial thrombi, small mitral valve vegetations, and thoracic aortic dissection can be diagnosed a high degree of accuracy. The downside of the techniques is the invasiveness of the procedure; the introduction of a probe into the oesophagus is very often experienced as rather uncomfortable by patients. | With TEE a smaller ultrasound probe is placed on a gastroscopic device for introduction in the oesophagus behind the heart. Besides overcoming structural problems, in general TEE produces much higher resolution images of posterior cardiac structures. With TEE left atrial thrombi, small mitral valve vegetations, and thoracic aortic dissection can be diagnosed a high degree of accuracy. The downside of the techniques is the invasiveness of the procedure; the introduction of a probe into the oesophagus is very often experienced as rather uncomfortable by patients. | ||
For more information on echocardiography, please visit | For more information on echocardiography, please visit [http://en.ecgpedia.org Echopedia.org] | ||
==Cardiac stress test== | ==Cardiac stress test== | ||