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Incremental value of live/real time three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography over the two‐dimensional technique in the assessment of aortic atherosclerotic thrombi and ulcers |
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| Authors: | Begum Uygur MD Nermina Alagic MD Aylin Sungur MD Satinder Singh MD FCCP Navin C Nanda MD DSc FISCU |
| Institution: | Division of Cardiovascular Disease, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama |
| Abstract: | We present two cases in whom live/real time three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) provided incremental value in the assessment of atherosclerotic disease in the aorta. In one patient, it identified additional atherosclerotic ulcers as well as thrombi within them which were missed by two‐dimensional (2D) TEE. In both cases, the size of the large mobile atherosclerotic plaque was underestimated by 2DTEE as compared with 3DTEE. Furthermore, 3DTEE provided volume quantification of the thrombi and ulcers which is not possible by 2DTEE. The echocardiographic findings of atherosclerotic plaques were confirmed by computed tomography in one patient and by surgery in the other. |
| Keywords: | aortic arch aortic atheroma ascending aorta atheromatous ulcer complex atheroma three‐dimensional echocardiography three‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography thrombus two‐dimensional echocardiography two‐dimensional transesophageal echocardiography |