Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE, TOE, Endoscopic ECHO)

Similar to endoscopy, a probe approximately 90-100 cm in length is swallowed after numbing the throat and administering a sedative through a vein. Images taken from this probe, unlike those obtained from external body examinations, offer very clear visuals because there are no significant muscle and bone structures in front and the imaging is done very close to the heart. Even the smallest details are captured, including color flows and Doppler examinations.

This method is not performed in every patient. It is more commonly used in cases where there is a possibility of clots in the atria and ventricles (such as after a stroke, etc.), in patients who have undergone surgical replacement of the mitral and aortic valves for the evaluation of artificial valve function, in the examination of the substructures of the mitral valve, in aortic ruptures, in inflammations of the valves, and in the definitive diagnosis of interatrial and interventricular defects.