Visualization of the Coronary Artery Using Transesophageal Echocardiography

The left main coronary artery, its bifurcation, and the proximal part of both the left anterior descending and the circumflex coronary arteries can be visualized by two-dimensional echocardiography (Chen et al. 1980; Douglas et al. 1988; Presti et al. 1987; Rink et al. 1982; Rogers et al. 1980a, b; Ryan et al. 1986). Several studies have demonstrated that this technique enables one to investigate the proximal left coronary tree and to diagnose significant coronary artery disease with variable sensitivity and specificity by recognising high-intensity infraluminal echoes which are very probably due to the calcification of the arterial walls (Presti et al. 1987; Rink et al. 1982; Rogers et al. 1980; Ryan et al. 1986).