What is the purpose of echocardiography in the detection of cardioembolism in stroke patients?
Echocardiography is a useful tool for the detection of cardioembolism in stroke patients. It can help to identify the source of emboli, such as atrial fibrillation, atrial thrombus, or a structural lesion such as a patent foramen ovale or an atrial septal defect. It can also detect valvular disease, myocardial infarction, or ventricular thrombus, which can all be sources of emboli. In addition, echocardiography can help to assess left ventricular ejection fraction, which can help to determine the risk of stroke recurrence. Studies have shown that echocardiography has a high diagnostic yield in stroke patients, and may be a valuable tool in the diagnosis and management of stroke patients.  