of 5 Echo for TEVAR : How Useful is TEE ?

Endovascular repair of the aorta (EVAR) has steadily gained popularity as a reliable alternative to conventional surgical repair of thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA). The success of EVAR is critically dependent on demonstration of satisfactory graft deployment by various imaging modalities. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is an ideal imaging tool for the thoracic and upper abdominal aorta and can supplement angiography in guiding placement of the endograft. The principal advantage of TEE is that it enables the anesthesiologist to identify aortic pathology, detect endoleaks and monitor cardiac performance with a single imaging tool. Indications of EVAR are expanding to include complex aortic diseases.