What's new in transesophageal echocardiography?

Transesophageal echocardiography continues to evolve as an important complimentary technique to transthoracic echocardiography for the diagnosis and management of various cardiovascular disorders. Improved transducer technology has expanded the indications to include assessment of ventricular function, especially in the intraoperative setting. Automatic border detection may further simplify the quantitative approach of transesophageal echocardiographic-guided assessment of ventricular function. Another area in which the technique continues to develop is valvular disease, especially for planimetry of the aortic valve area in aortic stenosis. The technique continues to be used in the evaluation of endocarditis, especially prosthetic valve involvement, and for the evaluation of the patient with a potential cardiac source of emboli. Clearly, transesophageal echocardiography plays an important role in evaluating lesions of the aorta, particularly dissection, where it may be the diagnostic test of choice. Undoubtedly, the technique will continue to evolve with changes driven by developments in technology.