Private echocardiogram with specialist reporting at Naas Cardiology & Endocrinology Clinic. Dr Kalyar, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, interprets all scans personally.
What Is an Echocardiogram?
An echocardiogram (echo) uses sound waves to create real-time images of your heart's chambers, valves, and muscle - entirely painlessly and without radiation.
All echocardiograms at Naas Cardiology & Endocrinology Clinic are interpreted by Dr Imtiaz Ali Kalyar, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist. You receive specialist-level interpretation with results discussed on the same day.
When Is an Echo Ordered?
FAQ
No. You can self-refer to Dr Kalyar for a private echocardiogram at our Naas clinic. If your GP has already requested one, please bring the referral letter as it provides useful clinical context.
No. An echocardiogram uses ultrasound (sound waves), not ionising radiation, so it carries none of the radiation exposure of an X-ray or CT-based test. It is routinely used in pregnancy and across all patient groups, at your consultant's clinical discretion.
Most Irish private health insurers (VHI, Laya, Irish Life Health, AXA Health) cover echocardiograms performed by a registered specialist consultant. Please check your policy details before booking.
What It Shows
A transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) is an ultrasound scan of the heart. It is painless, uses no radiation, and typically takes 20 to 45 minutes. It gives a detailed, real-time picture of how the heart is structured and how well it is working: the pumping function of the left ventricle, reported as the ejection fraction; the size and thickness of all four chambers; the heart valves and whether any is narrowed (stenosis) or leaking (regurgitation); the pericardium, the sac around the heart; and an estimate of the pressure in the lung arteries, which is relevant in breathlessness and heart failure.
Echocardiography is the key test for investigating a heart murmur, unexplained breathlessness or reduced exercise tolerance, suspected or established heart failure, palpitations where a structural cause needs to be excluded, assessment before certain operations, and monitoring of a known valve problem or a cardiomyopathy over time. Where symptoms come on with exertion, a stress echocardiogram — images taken before and immediately after exercise or a medication that mimics it — can be arranged to look for inducible changes that a resting scan would miss.
On the Day & After
During the Scan
Your Report
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Specialist-reported echo with same-day verbal results. Saturday & Sunday appointments at Vista Primary Care Clinic, Naas.
No. Dr Kalyar (Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, IMC 102093) accepts self-referrals for private echocardiograms at our Naas, Co. Kildare clinic.
A standard transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) takes 20-45 minutes. Results are discussed on the day and a written report is sent to your GP within 48 hours.
No special preparation is needed for a standard resting echocardiogram. You can eat, drink and take your usual medication as normal. Wear a two-piece outfit so the chest can be accessed easily. Allow a little longer than the scan time itself for changing and for discussing the result. If a stress echocardiogram has been arranged, you will be given separate instructions — usually to wear suitable footwear for a treadmill and, for some medication-based stress tests, to avoid caffeine for 24 hours beforehand.
They measure different things and are often done together. An ECG (electrocardiogram) is a quick electrical tracing that shows the heart rhythm and can indicate a previous heart attack, chamber enlargement or strain. An echocardiogram is an ultrasound that shows the heart's physical structure and function — the pumping strength, the valves, the chamber sizes and the lining. An ECG cannot show how well the heart is pumping or whether a valve is leaking; an echocardiogram can, but takes longer and needs a trained operator.
A resting echocardiogram does not image the coronary arteries directly and cannot reliably rule out coronary artery disease on its own. It can show indirect evidence — a region of heart muscle that moves abnormally because of a previous or ongoing lack of blood supply. To assess for significant coronary narrowing, Dr Kalyar uses a stress echocardiogram, an exercise ECG, a CT coronary angiogram or invasive angiography as appropriate, and the resting echo is used alongside these to build the full picture.
Echocardiograms are performed at the weekend clinic in Naas and are typically available within one to four weeks of booking, depending on clinical urgency. Where symptoms suggest a time-critical problem, the clinic will advise the appropriate pathway rather than wait for a routine slot. Self-referral is accepted; a GP referral with your history and any previous cardiac results is helpful but not required.