Porter Introduces 3D TEE

Porter health system is proud to introduce Live 3-Dimensional Transesophageal Echocardiography (3D TEE).  Porter health system is the only facility offering this latest technology in Northwest Indiana. According to Philips Healthcare, the only vendor supplying this high level technology, this procedure is only available at Porter’s facilities.

3D TEE, the most-advanced imaging technology, allows Porter cardiologists to see what they have never seen before. The first 3-D TEE was performed on August 7, 2009. According to Dr. Kholoki, who performed the first procedure, the first patient had been referred to Indianapolis when she was told that she needed a double valve replacement. This extensive surgery would have altered her life forever, requiring blood thinners and other life changes. She met with Dr. Khabbaz who recommended the 3-D TEE procedure. The new technology revealed that she didn't need the valve replacements and can be treated with medication instead, with the possibility of a single valve replacement somewhere later in the future. The improved technology which resulted in a more accurate and optimistic diagnosis had a significant, positive impact on the patient's life.

What is it?

Live 3D TEE provides new visualization of pathology and function never seen before in real time when compared to the gold standard MRI

• Live 3-D TEE is an exciting new diagnostic tool that provides stunningly accurate, real-time, and three-dimensional images of the heart.  Previous TEE systems could only produce a flattened outline of cardiac structures, by contrast, this new technology produces moving live three dimensional images that reveal 360 degrees of information all at once.  The physician can then use these images as a model of the heart to make sound decisions and plan the best and safest approach for patient care.

• To acquire images, a slender flexible tube much like an endoscope is introduced through the patient’s mouth and into the esophagus. At the end of the probe (which is about the size of a small finger tip) are thousands of microscopic crystals that emit very high frequency sound. After the transducer is positioned behind the heart, these crystals send and receive sound waves that create these remarkable images of cardiac structures including heart chambers, valves and blood vessels.

• Using the same principle as  Doppler Weather Radar, the Cardiologist can track blood flow in full color through the heart and blood vessels, this is important for evaluating the health and condition of heart valves as well as to search for dangerous cardiac sources for stroke.

• Because the Live 3-D TEE is placed internally, it gets very close the heart to produce the clearest, most accurate real-time images of any ultrasonic modalities available in any institution today.

Live 3-D TEE offers many patient benefits:

• Comfort: The procedure takes less than an hour and it’s minimally invasive, requiring only moderate sedation. Most patients don’t even remember the procedure once it’s concluded.

• Accuracy: The real-time, 3-D pictures provide for more accurate diagnoses without the need for invading the body. In situations where 3-D TEE confirms the need for surgery, the images provide surgeons with critical information in advance to ensure a successful surgical outcome.

• Affordability: 3-D TEE is less expensive than MRI.

• Timeliness: Images are in real-time, enabling a cardiac team to diagnose a patient on the spot and quickly suggest treatment options.