Two views of Transesophageal Echocardiograms or TEE in definitions and pictures.

What is a Transesophageal Echocardiogram or TEE?

A Transesophageal Echocardiogram is often abbreviated as simply TEE. If it's difficult to get a clear picture of your heart with a standard echocardiogram, a transesophageal echocardiogram may be performed.

In this procedure, instead of moving a transducer over the outside of a chest, a flexible tube containing a smaller-sized transducer is guided down your throat and into your esophagus. From there, the transducer can obtain more detailed images of the heart.

For the test, the patient’s throat will be numbed, and medications are available to ease the procedure. But the benefits are the ability to show clearer pictures of the heart since the probe is located closer to it and the lungs and the chest wall bones do not block the sound waves.

Learn the unique differences for these types of echocardiograms:

Adenosine/Sestamibi Stress Echocardiogram
Dobutamine Echocardiogram
Doppler Echocardiogram
Intravascular Ultrasound
Stress Echocardiogram
Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE)
Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE)

• What is an Echocardiogram?
• Why would you need or get an Echocardiogram?
• What are the different types of Echocardiograms?
• Describe the Echocardiogram experience.
• What are the costs of an Echocardiogram?
• What are the risks with Echocardiograms?

Find an Echocardiogram Facility near you.