Houston VA expands Echocardiogram Imaging Services to Conroe Clinic
On Oct. 5, the Conroe VA Clinic began offering echocardiogram ultrasounds as part of a new pilot program. Previously, all echocardiograms have been conducted at the main Houston campus.
The main campus typically receives about 30 echocardiogram consults per month for Conroe and Tomball patients.
Melissa Alanis, supervisor for non-invasive cardiology, said the Conroe Clinic will give Veterans an option to receive the service closer to their home vs. driving to the main campus.
“This is something I think the Veterans will absolutely love,” said Alanis. “We have a lot of Veterans who travel from far away and sometimes the echocardiogram is their only appointment. The need is definitely there.”
Echocardiogram ultrasounds are performed every other Wednesday at the Conroe clinic with a sonographer traveling from the main campus to the clinic.
“Our ultimate goal is to take care of Veterans and this small measure is helping us to do that better, ” said Dr. Arunima Misra, Director of the Echocardiography Lab at MEDVAMC. “We hope we can further expand this service to other outpatient clinics in the future.
Echocardiograms are routinely used in the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with any suspected or known heart diseases, and one of the most widely used diagnostic imaging modalities in cardiology.