Technical Principles of Transesophageal Three-Dimensional Echocardiography

Abstract

The advent of three-dimensional (3D) acquisition has been an important development in transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). This imaging technique entered the clinical arena during the first decade of the new century, when the expansion of the computing power of computers and the development of nanotechnology have made possible to insert a full matrix array into the tip of a transesophageal probe, providing TEE real-time volumetric imaging and prompting the use of 3D TEE in different cardiological, clinical, and research settings. Currently, major clinical applications of 3D TEE are left ventricular volume and ejection fraction measurement, assessment of heart valve anatomy and function, preoperative planning and monitoring different interventional procedures in the catheterization laboratory and hybrid surgical theatres.