Ingalls Introduces Sophisticated 3D Transesophageal Echocardiography

In cardiovascular medicine, every heartbeat, every second, every image counts. That’s why getting the best possible images of the heart and its structures is critical for diagnosing and successfully treating certain heart conditions.

With the addition of sophisticated three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), cardiologists at Ingalls Memorial Hospital can now visualize the heart with greater depth than ever before, allowing for more accurate assessment of heart conditions. In fact, three-dimensional TEE has become the gold standard for evaluation of patients with specific heart valve disease.

“TEE is a test that produces pictures of the heart structures to assess how well they are working,” explains Abed Dehnee, M.D., interventional cardiologist and medical director of the echocardiography laboratory at Ingalls.

TEE uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to make detailed pictures of the heart chambers and valves. Unlike a standard echocardiogram, the echo transducer that produces the sound waves for TEE is attached to a thin tube that passes through the mouth, down the throat and into the esophagus.

“Because the esophagus is so close to the heart, very clear images of heart chambers and valves can be obtained,” Dr. Dehnee added. “The 3D probe allows for the images to be reconstructed in a way that allows the structures to be viewed from multiple perspectives, cutting down on procedure time and giving the cardiologist an almost identical view of the actual structure itself.”

The sound waves sent to the heart by the probe in the esophagus are translated into pictures on a video screen.

Certain conditions of the heart, such as mitral valve disorders, blood clots or masses inside the heart, a tear of the lining of the aorta and artificial heart valves, are better seen with TEE. The addition of 3D TEE at Ingalls captures three-dimensional views of the heart, and the “real-time” capabilities allow for a more accurate assessment of heart function by using measurements taken while the heart is beating.

TEE may be done to evaluate signs and symptoms that suggest:

· Stroke, to evaluate for the possibility of a blood clot traveling from the heart to the brain

· Cardiomyopathy, or an enlargement of the heart due to a thickening or weakening of the heart muscle

· Congenital heart disease, including a hole in the heart between the two lower or upper chambers of the heart

· Leaky heart valves

· Aortic aneurysm or dissection, an enlargement or tear of the lining of the aorta

· Infective endocarditis, an infection of the heart that affects the heart valves.

“Because the surgeon knows exactly what the heart structure looks like, the new technology allows for better surgical planning and can even cut down on actual surgery time,” he added.

TEE is performed under conscious sedation; the entire procedure takes only 15 minutes.