Preparation for a swallow echo

To perform a swallow echo, the patient must be fasting. This means that no food or drink may be eaten or drunk for at least the previous six hours. If a sedative is to be administered, the patient is usually given a vein access in one arm. In addition, if the patient wishes, the throat can be anaesthetised in advance.

How does a swallow echo work?

To perform a swallowing echo, the doctor inserts a flexible instrument, at the end of which the small ultrasound probe is located, through the mouth into the oesophagus. This is the most uncomfortable beginning of the examination for most patients, so that a light local anesthesia of the throat may be appropriate. It is also possible that the patient may be given sedative and sleep-inducing medication in advance.

Once the ultrasound probe is inserted, the doctor can advance it inside the esophagus up to the level of the heart. This is where the actual examination by ultrasound of the heart begins. The images generated are displayed on a monitor in real time.

With the help of the ultrasound device, the examiner can perform various measurements, among other things. Usually, relevant images of the swallow echo are also either printed or digitally recorded. After about 15 minutes the examination is finished and the ultrasound probe is carefully pulled out over the mouth.

Evaluation of the swallow echo

As with any ultrasound examination, a swallow echo is displayed in real time, i.e. the sound images taken of the heart are shown directly on the screen. Therefore, the evaluation of the TEE already starts with the examination itself. For example, the examiner looks through all the heart cavities and pays attention to possible blood clots or inflammation-related deposits. Using various technical aids, the ultrasound device can also be used to measure and assess the blood flow through the heart valves.Based on the results of the examination, the doctor can evaluate whether the valve function is normal or impaired.