Many diagnostic tests available today can show doctors if you
have heart or vascular disease. Or, if you already know that you
have heart disease, these tests can show doctors if your disease
is getting worse. Many of these tests produce "pictures" of your
heart. The pictures will not look like a heart, though, and your
doctor will have to tell you what these pictures show. Some
tests are more reliable than others, especially for detecting
coronary artery disease. Your doctor will decide which test is
best for you, based on your symptoms, your medical history, and
your history of disease. During your first physical examination,
doctors will likely perform some basic tests. First, they may
listen to your heart with a stethoscope. This is called
auscultation, which means the study of heart sounds. Doctors are
sometimes able to diagnose some types of heart valve disease by
listening to any abnormal heart sounds that they hear through
the stethoscope. Doctors will also take your blood pressure
using a pressure cu