Transesophageal Echocardiography is a diagnostic procedure using the soundwave technology of ultrasound plus a device called a transducer to yield an image of the heart.  The pill-sized transducer is actually swallowed to get it close enough to the heart through the esophagus to get a clearer picture of the heart. An anesthetic spray is used to numb your throat and a sedative is given to help you relax during the test. The transducer is "swallowed" until it is positioned inside your esophagus behind the heart. There may be a slight sensation of pressure while the catheter is passed into position, but the procedure is not usually described as painful.

Because the transducer can be placed so close to the heart, its images are clearer than a traditional echocardiogram. Most often, the technique is used for follow-up studies of potential problems identified with other diagnostic tests, including transthoracic echocardiography. But, the technique is also used in emergency situations when a rapid diagnostic evaluation is preferable to exploratory surgery. The images obtained may be used to identify or evaluate:

• Blood clots or other abnormal masses

• The degree of heart valve dysfunction or presence of infection

• Structural defects of, or between, heart chambers

• Injury to one of the "great" vessels