Transesophageal Echocardiography

During the past two decades, cardiovascular ultrasonography has benefited from technical innovations that have allowed it to become a cornerstone of the modern diagnosis of cardiac disease. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is one of the more recent developments. In the past few years clinical applications of TEE have grown explosively. In this article, we summarize the present status and diagnostic value of TEE as compared with transthoracic echocardiography, emphasizing in particular the effect of TEE on diagnostic decision making and patient care.In 1976, Frazin et al. described their initial experience with a single-crystal ultrasound transducer attached to a coaxial cable . . .