Annex A > Chapter 3 - Developments in the UK, in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Congenital Heart Abnormalities in Children, 1984-1995 > Diagnosis and initial assessment > Transoesophageal echocardiography

Transoesophageal echocardiography

19 In the early 1990s, ultrasound probes were designed which could be passed from the mouth into the oesophagus (food-pipe or gullet) which runs through the chest, just behind the heart. This has enabled cardiologists to obtain very clear pictures of those structures of the heart that are reasonably close to the oesophagus. The technique has also become very useful for looking at the structures of the heart during surgery without interfering with the surgeon's operating field.

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