title: Comparison of cardiac dimensions by transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography.
abstract: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has advanced rapidly as a valuable cardiovascular diagnostic technique. As the use of TEE increases, so does the importance of well-defined normal cardiac measurements. Presently, few data exist on the accuracy of M-mode TEE-derived measurements. Therefore in 81 adult patients, TEE-derived M-mode measurements were compared with analogous measurements that were made by standard M-mode transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). The TTE and TEE measurements did not differ in aortic root diameter, end-diastolic left ventricular diameter, end-diastolic septal wall versus anterior wall thickness, or end-diastolic posterior wall versus inferior wall thickness. These TEE measurements were within 95% confidence limits of TTE measurements. TEE-derived left atrial diameter (3.5 +/- 0.8 cm) was less than that derived by TTE (3.8 +/- 0.8 cm; p less than 0.001) and fell outside of the 95% confidence interval. TTE left atrial size could be estimated as follows: TTE-derived left atrial diameter = TEE-derived left atrial diameter x 0.6 + 1.5 cm. In conclusion, M-mode measurements of aortic root diameter, left ventricular diameter, and wall thicknesses as derived by TTE and TEE are comparable. TEE-derived left atrial diameter may be used to estimate the left atrial TTE measurement. TEE-derived M-mode measurements are likely to be most useful when results of TTE are technically inadequate.
authors.affiliation: University of Louisville, Cardiovascular Division, KY 40202.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Stoddard
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Liddell
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Vogel
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Longaker
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Dawkins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001011:Aorta / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002306:Cardiac Volume; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D012044:Regression Analysis