The Usefulness of Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Diagnosis of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm

The usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in establishing the diagnosis of thoracic aortic aneurysm was evaluated. Thirteen patients were referred for this study. Seven had dissecting aortic aneurysms and 6 did true ones. TEE could detect an intimal flap in all 7 patients, an entry in 6 of 7, and a reentry in 2 of 7. TEE was superior to any other imaging methods such as CT, MRI and DSA in visualizing an intimal flap, entry and reentry.Mural thrombus, calcification, atheroma ulcer and aortic regurgitation were visualized by TEE.A fuzzy echo in the false (pseudo) lumen was demonstrated in 6 of 7 cases. A flow velocity in the entry was measured, pressure gradient being calculated. Seven cases of dissecting aortic aneurysm were classified according to a fuzzy echo and pressure gradient in the entry.We believe that TEE is a non-invasive useful imaging method in decision-making of the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms including dissecting type.