Diagnosis of main-stem pulmonary thromboemboli by transesophageal echocardiography

The aim of this report is to describe the usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of pulmonary emboli. A biplane transesophageal probe was used to examine the pulmonary artery in multiple views in three patients with suspected pulmonary emboli. The diagnosis of pulmonary emboli was made by transesophageal echocardiography in each of three patients when an echodense, circular or linear mass was seen in more than one view of the main or right pulmonary artery. In conclusion, our findings, coupled with previous case reports, suggest that transesophageal echocardiography should be considered in all critically ill patients with suspected pulmonary emboli.