Echocardiography, also known as cardiac ultrasound, is routinely used in the diagnosis, and follow-up of patients with any suspected or known heart diseases. It is one of the most widely used diagnostic imaging modalities in cardiology. It can provide a wealth of helpful information, including the size and shape of the heart, pumping capacity, location and extent of any tissue damage, and assessment of valves. An echocardiogram can also give physicians other estimates of heart function, such as ejection fraction, and diastolic function (how well the heart relaxes).

It is a tool which helps in reaching an early diagnosis of myocardial infarction, showing regional wall motion abnormality. Also, it is important in treatment and follow-up in patients with heart failure, by assessing ejection fraction, echocardiography may also help determine whether any chest pain or associated symptoms are related to heart disease., images of heart structures, but it can also produce accurate assessment of the blood flowing through the heart.