ASSESSMENT OF CORONARY-ARTERY ANEURYSMS WITH MULTIPLANE TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY

Coronary artery aneurysms are rare and may be difficult to detect clin ically. Multiplane transesophageal echocardiography provides numerous imaging planes that may improve the assessment of coronary aneurysms a nd act as an adjunct to standard angiography. Five patients with angio graphically detected coronary aneurysms were studied with multiplane t ransesophageal echocardiography and Doppler flow imaging. Transesophag eal echocardiography was successful in identifying the size and charac teristics of the coronary aneurysms. Doppler ultrasound identified mar kedly increased flow velocity in a patient with a coronary arterioveno us fistula and decreased coronary flow velocity in two patients with a neurysmal coronary arteries and intracoronary thrombus. Multiplane tra nsesophageal echocardiography is a useful, noninvasive method of asses sing coronary artery aneurysms and may act as an adjunct to angiograph y in identifying fistula anastomosis.