Transesophageal  echocardiography or TEE, is a test that uses sound waves to create high-quality moving pictures of the heart and its blood vessels. TEE is a type of echocardiography (echo). Echo shows the size and shape of the heart and how well the heart chambers and valves are working. Echo can pinpoint areas of heart muscle that aren’t contracting well because of poor blood flow or injury from a previous heart attack. Echo also can detect possible blood clots inside the heart, fluid buildup in the pericardium (the sac around the heart), and problems with the aorta. The aorta is the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body.The advantage of TEE over TTE is usually clearer images, especially of structures that are difficult to view transthoracically (through the chest wall). The explanation for this is that the heart rests directly upon the esophagus leaving only millimeters that the ultrasound beam has to travel.

A transesophageal echocardiogram is a test to help your doctor look at the inside of your heart. A small device called a transducer directs sound waves toward your heart. The sound waves make a picture of the heart’s valves and chambers. Before the test, your throat was sprayed with medicine to numb it.