Double chambered right ventricle: delineation by multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography

Three consecutive patients (median age 5 years; median weight 15 kg) with double chambered right ventricle (DCRV) were studied by multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), using a specially designed paediatric probe. Using a 30 degrees angulation from the longitudinal plane, the body and outflow tract of the right ventricle could be imaged with minimal foreshortening, allowing detailed description of the level and nature of obstruction. In all cases, angiography and subsequent surgical inspection confirmed the TOE findings. Multiplane TOE should avoid the necessity for angiography in the preoperative assessment of this unusual lesion.