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Horizontal Plane Transesophageal Echocardiography May Be False Negative for Large Tricuspid Vegetations
Author(s) -
GUARNERI ERMINIA,
TUNICK PAUL A.,
KENNEDY JAMES T.,
KRONZON ITZHAK
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.1994.tb01043.x
Subject(s) - biplane , tricuspid valve , medicine , endocarditis , transesophageal echocardiogram , cardiology , radiology , vegetation (pathology) , pathology , engineering , aerospace engineering
A 37‐year‐old man was admitted to the hospital with fever. Because of a history of intravenous drug abuse, and a picture consistent with septic pulmonary emboli, right‐sided endocarditis was suspected. However, transthoracic echocardiography did not reveal any vegetations. Transesophageal echocardiography was therefore done, and excellent visualization of the tricuspid valve with the horizontal plane view showed what appeared to be a normal tricuspid valve. However, the vertical plane image clearly showed a large tricuspid vegetation. This case illustrates the advantage of the biplane transesophageal transducer, as the diagnosis would have been missed with a standard single plane probe. transesophageal echocardiography, tricuspid vegetation, biplane transesophageal echocardiography