Ever heard of a TEE? It’s a special type of ultrasound that takes pictures of your heart from the inside. A thin tube goes down your throat, using sound waves to create images of your heart. This test can help doctors find problems like blood clots and infections.
Keep reading to learn more about the transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) procedure and how it can help diagnose heart problems.
What’s a Transesophageal Echocardiogram?
A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) is a type of ultrasound test in which your doctor inserts a tube down your esophagus, which is the tube that carries food from your mouth to your stomach. The tube has an ultrasound device that takes pictures of your heart.
Because your esophagus is close to your heart, it’s a good place to get clear images of your heart’s chamber, valves, blood vessels, and outer lining.
The test uses a small device called an echocardiogram transducer. This device uses sound waves to measure your heart’s rhythm as it beats. The transducer is attached to a long, thin, and flexible tube called an endoscope.
Why Do People Have TEE?
Doctors use TEEs to find problems with your heart’s structure and how it works. TEEs can provide clearer images of the aorta, the upper heart chambers, and the valves between them compared to standard echocardiograms.
The detailed pictures from TEEs can help your doctor see:
- The size and thickness of your heart walls.
- How well your heart is pumping blood.
- If there’s abnormal tissue around your heart valves.
- Defects that cause heart murmurs.
- If blood is leaking backward or if your valves are stiff, narrowed, or blocked.
- If there are blood clots in your heart chambers.
TEEs are often used during surgery to repair heart valves, the aorta, or congenital heart defects. They’re also used during surgery for endocarditis, an infection of the heart’s inner lining.
Procedure Details for Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
Preparing for a TEE
Before your TEE, talk to your doctor. They may tell you to avoid alcohol for a few days and not eat or drink anything for a certain amount of time before the test. You’ll need someone to drive you home because you’ll receive a sedative to help you relax.
What Happens During a TEE?
A specially trained technician called a sonographer performs the TEE, and your cardiologist reviews the results.
The technician will spray your throat with medicine to numb it and prevent you from gagging. You’ll lie down on a table.
A nurse will start an IV in your arm and give you medication to help you relax. They’ll also place electrodes on your chest to monitor your heartbeat.
Then, a thin, flexible tube will be gently inserted through your mouth and down your throat. You’ll need to swallow as it goes down. The tube has a transducer that sends sound waves to your heart and collects the echoes. These echoes create pictures that appear on a video screen.
After the TEE, the tube, IV, and electrodes will be removed, and you will be monitored until you are fully awake. You can then get up, get dressed, and go home.
What Happens After a TEE?
Your throat may be numb for a short time. Don’t eat or drink anything until the numbness wears off.
You may have difficulty swallowing right after the test, but this will go away in a few hours. It’s common to have a sore throat for a day or two.
Because of the sedative, someone should drive you home from the test. You can usually drive again after 24 hours.
In Short
A Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) is unique because it captures images from inside your body instead of from the outside. At Memorial Cardiology Associates, our skilled team of cardiologists performs the TEE procedure.
Give us a call at (713) 464-6006 to schedule your appointment!