The role of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has increased tremendously since its first use in 1979. Today intraoperative TEE is a class I indication for surgical mitral valve reconstruction for evaluation of mitral valve pathology, graduation of mitral regurgitation and detection of potential risk factors as well as post-repair assessment. Real-time three-dimensional TEE o...

Residual patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) after surgical ligation is not common, but the anatomy of the residual duct may be distorted by the surgical ligation resulting in a difficult transcatheter closure. Such distorted anatomy of the duct may not be demonstrated by the two-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (2D TEE). Fortunately, live 3D TEE provided the precise anatomy of the elong...

Although diseases of the thoracic aorta are the consequence of degenerative, acquired, genetic, or traumatic conditions, they all are ultimately manifested by structural changes in the aorta that can be diagnosed by imaging studies. For that reason, systematic and precise characterization of thoracic aortic anatomy and pathophysiologic changes by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in combin...

We report a rare complication occurring in a 72 year old patient previously undergone surgical aortic root replacement with Cabrol technique for an aneurysm of the ascending aorta and aortic valve incompetence. Sixteen years later the patient presented progressive congestive heart failure and a left ventricle-to-right atrium shunt due to the distal detachment of the valved tubular graft at leve...

We herein present a case of a successful correction of cor triatriatum associated with thrombotic pulmonary hypertension diagnosed in an adult female patient. We confirmed diagnosis using transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in addition to cardiac computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Surgical repair comprised excision of the fibromuscular membranous septum in the le...

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has an important role during congenital heart surgery. TEE in small infants is associated with complications, including an inability to pass the TEE probe, esophageal trauma, airway compression, aortic compression, and interference with ventilation. Recently, a monoplane intravascular ultrasound catheter (IVUC) has been developed for intracardiac echocardi...

Aims: Secondary cardiac tumours are rare conditions, often difficult to suspect. We aim to describe the diagnostic potential of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in this field, and to discuss their reliability as modalities of choice for preoperative diagnosis. Methods and Results: We used several complementary diagnostic approaches: Color-Doppler transthoracic echocardiography...