Intraoperative Transesophageal Versus Epicardial Ultrasound in Surgery for Congenital Heart Disease

Twenty-eight patients (age range, 0.7 to 65 years; median age, 6.1 years) who were undergoing correction for congenital heart disease were entered into a prospective study with both intraoperative transesophageal and epicardial ultrasound to determine the relative values of these techniques before and after bypass surgery. Introduction of the transesophageal probe was successful in 26 patients (93%); children were studied with use of dedicated pediatric transducers. Epicardial studies were performed in all 28 patients. Epicardial studies allowed for higher resolution imaging and a more complete assessment before bypass surgery of the intracardiac morphological condition (ventricular septum and right ventricular outflow tract) than the assessment that was obtained by the transesophageal approach. In the period immediately after bypass surgery, the transesophageal technique allowed a more detailed insight into atrioventricular valve, function (valvar regurgitation [five patients] and ventricular inflow patterns) and the continuous monitoring of left ventricular function and volume. Residual interventricular shunting (three patients) or residual outflow tract obstruction (four patients) could not be reliably documented by transesophageal studies. It is concluded that intraoperative transesophageal and epicardial ultrasound in surgery for congenital heart disease are complementary rather than alternative techniques.