What component of echocardiography assesses blood flow velocity and valve function?

Doppler echocardiography is a specialized technique within echocardiography that examines blood flow velocity and evaluates valve function. By utilizing the Doppler effect, this method measures changes in frequency of sound waves as they bounce off moving red blood cells, allowing clinicians to assess the speed and direction of blood flow through the heart and across the valves. This information is crucial for diagnosing conditions such as stenosis, regurgitation, and various other cardiovascular abnormalities.

While 2D echocardiography provides structural imaging of the heart's anatomy, it does not specifically quantify blood flow velocity or valve function. Color flow mapping is a visualization mode that represents blood flow direction and velocity but does not provide precise quantitative measurements like Doppler echocardiography. Stress echocardiography assesses heart function during exercise or pharmacological stress, primarily focusing on how the heart responds to increased demand rather than directly measuring blood flow and valve function in a resting state.