Transoesophageal Echocardiogram

A transoesophageal echocardiogram is a test that uses ultrasound to produce moving images of your heart.

Heart Health

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What is a transoesophageal echocardiogram?

A transoesophageal echocardiogram is a special type of heart ultrasound that’s used to check the structure and function of your heart. A small probe sends sound waves that ‘echo’ off your heart. These echoes are converted into real-time images of your heart’s walls and valves.

At Welbeck, a transoesophageal echocardiogram is performed in our state-of-the-art Surgery Centre, by our experienced cardiologists.

You might need to have a transoesophageal echocardiogram scan to check for conditions that affect the heart, such as:

cardiomyopathy - thickening or weakening of the heart muscle that causes the heart to enlarge
congenital heart disease - heart defects present from birth
heart failure - when your heart can’t pump blood effectively, leading to fluid buildup in the lungs, legs or other areas
aneurysm - a weakened, bulging area in the heart muscle or aorta (the main artery)
heart valve disease - valves that don’t open or close properly, causing blocked flow or blood leakage (regurgitation)
cardiac tumour - a growth on the surface of the heart, inside its chambers, or within the heart muscle
pericarditis - inflammation or infection of the sac around the heart
infective endocarditis - infection of the heart, involving the valves
aortic dissection - a tear in the wall of the aorta
blood clots and stroke risk - clots inside the heart may travel to the brain or elsewhere

More information

For the procedure, your throat will be numbed with a local anaesthetic spray before you’re anaesthetised (under a general anaesthetic or heavy sedation). Your cardiologist will gently pass a thin ultrasound probe into your oesophagus (food pipe). You may be asked to swallow to help the probe pass into your oesophagus if under sedation.

The probe uses sound waves to create detailed images of your heart. These pictures are displayed on a monitor in real time, so your specialist can see the structure and movements of your heart as it beats.

A transoesophageal echocardiogram is generally a very safe procedure. Most people only experience a mild sore throat afterwards, which usually settles quickly.

Rarely, complications can include:

damage or tear to the oesophagus
an allergic reaction
breathing in stomach contents during the test (aspiration)

To prepare, you’ll usually be asked not to eat for 6 hours before the test, and to only drink water up until 2 hours beforehand. After that, you should not eat or drink anything.

After the treatment, you may have a mild sore throat for a day or two, but this usually settles quickly.

It’s important to follow any advice from your consultant after having sedation. For the rest of the day, you should not:

drive or operate motorised vehicles or equipment
travel alone
return to work or school
look after children or dependants
exercise or play sports
drink alcohol or smoke

Please contact our Surgery centre for pricing information.

At Welbeck, our heart health specialists are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

To book a transoesophageal echocardiogram, you must be referred by either your GP or a cardiologist following a consultation with them. Self-referrals are not accepted for this procedure.

If you would like to schedule a consultation with a cardiologist, please get in touch to make an appointment. Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.