The transesophageal echo examination

Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is increasingly being used to assess ventricular function in patients about to undergo coronary revascularization, and it should always be used to assess the result of surgery and cardiac function both following bypass and/or at the time of chest closure. The development of standard chocardiographic views, coupled with agreed terminology for describing manipulation of the TEE probe, has been essential for the development of TEE into an effective imaging modality. The 20 standard views described in 1999 form the basis of the TEE study. Echocardiographic examination of left ventricular function can reveal useful information when the heart is at rest or under stress with a pharmacological agent such as dobutamine. In order to evaluate each part accurately, the left ventricle has been divided into a number of segments. TEE is particularly useful for examining the mitral valve.