[The performance of transesophageal echocardiography in clinical cardiovascular practice]

The usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in cardiovascular clinical practice is assessed. Seven hundred transesophageal studies were performed between November 1989 and October 1991. One hundred and seventeen studies carried out during the follow-up of treated non-acute pathologies were excluded. The study could not be made in 6 patients. The most frequent indications of TEE were aortic pathology study, 120 (21%), infective endocarditis, 72 (13%), origin of systemic embolisms, 66 (11%), and mitral pre-valvuloplasty and intensive care, 64 (11%). The incidence of pathologic findings on TEE not diagnosed by conventional echocardiography was 32% (182/577). The incidence of pathologic findings with therapeutic implications was 15% (85/577). Indications showing a greater incidence of pathologic findings with therapeutic implications were: 1) thoracic aorta pathology, 42 (35%); 2) mitral prostheses disfunction, 8 (19%), and 3) mitral pre-valvuloplasty, 10 (16%). Infective endocarditis, intensive care studies and congenital cardiopathies had an incidence of 12%. TEE findings in the study of intracardiac masses, the origin of peripheral embolisms and mitral insufficiency had little influence (less than 5%) on the management of the patient.