Ask the doctor: Different ways to do echocardiograms

Q. I had an echocardiogram of my heart, which was pretty simple and painless. Then, my cardiologist told me that I needed another echocardiogram, this time with a probe down my throat. What's the difference between these two procedures?

A. An echocardiogram uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to create still and video images
of your heart, which can show how well it's working. The most common version of this test is called a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), because the ultrasound probe moves over the front of the chest,
or thoracic area.