Instrumentation for Transesophageal Echocardiography

Though transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) first started with single crystal devices and motor driven sector scanners, ultrasound instrumentation using phased array technology has now been universally adopted for the use of TEE in patients with congenital heart disease, including applications in neonates and infants. This chapter reviews the history, technology, methods, and instrumentation related to TEE utilized during support of surgical and interventional catheterization procedures, particularly in regard to the treatment and diagnosis of congenital heart disease. The instruments to be reviewed include miniaturized fully functional phased array probes and their utlity for cardiac imaging from transesophageal, epicardial, and intracardiac imaging locations. An important theme of this chapter is the role of miniaturization: the smaller and more versatile the probes, the better adapted they will be for use in children, especially neonates born with serious forms of congenital heart disease.