This is an enlargement of the heart due to thickening or weakening of the heart muscle.Ĭongenital heart disease. This is a gradual clogging of the arteries by fatty materials and other substances in the blood.Ĭardiomyopathy. Transesophageal echocardiography may be done to evaluate signs and symptoms that may suggest:Ītherosclerosis. The real time images allow for a more accurate assessment of heart function by using measurements taken while the heart is beating. This technique captures three-dimensional views of the heart structures with greater detail than 2-D echo. This lets the doctor see the various heart structures at work and evaluate them using a single slice or 2-dimensional image.ģ-D (three-dimensional) echocardiography. It shows the real-time motion of the heart’s structures. A 2-D echo view appears cone-shaped on the monitor. This technique is used to view the motion of the heart structures in real time. This simplifies the interpretation of the Doppler technique.Ģ-D (two-dimensional) echocardiography. ![]() With color Doppler, different colors are used to designate the direction of blood flow. Color Doppler is an enhanced form of Doppler echocardiography. Also, Doppler can detect abnormal blood flow within the heart, which can mean there is a problem with one or more of the heart valves, or with the heart’s walls.Ĭolor Doppler. The amount of blood pumped out with each beat is an indication of the hearts functioning. This Doppler technique is used to assess blood flow through the heart’s chambers and valves. M-mode echo is useful for measuring heart structures, such as the heart’s pumping chambers, the size of the heart itself, and the thickness of the heart walls.ĭoppler echocardiography. It makes an image that is similar to a tracing rather than an actual picture of heart structures. This is the simplest type of echocardiography. ![]() Certain conditions of the heart are better seen with TEE, such as mitral valve disorders, blood clots or masses inside the heart, a tear of the lining of the aorta, and the structure and function of artificial heart valves.Ī TEE may use one or more of several special types of echocardiography, as listed below: ![]() The TEE probe is much closer to the heart since the esophagus and heart are right next to each other.īeing overweight or having certain lung diseases can interfere with images of the heart when the transducer is placed on the chest wall. This provides a clearer image of the heart because the sound waves do not have to pass through skin, muscle, or bone tissue. A transesophageal echocardiogram is done by inserting a probe with a transducer down the esophagus. ![]() This is called a transthoracic echocardiogram. The computer displays the echoes as images of the heart walls and valves.Ī traditional echocardiogram is done by putting the transducer on the surface of the chest. The transducer picks up the reflected waves and sends them to a computer. When the transducer is placed at certain locations and angles, the ultrasonic sound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the heart tissues, where the waves bounce or "echo" off of the heart structures. During the procedure, a transducer (like a microphone) sends out ultrasonic sound waves. What is a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE)?Ī transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) uses echocardiography to assess the structure and function of the heart.
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